LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
Chap. .. 81ielfSN450\ 

PRESENTED BY V\ i ^^ S \ft 



• THE iIOEATIO KIHG 

Christian Life.- 

FOR 

^Devotional IReabing 

AND 

family Worsbip, 

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 
BY 

REV. JOSEPH NEWTON HALLOCK, 

EDITOR OF "THE CHRISTIAN AT WORK." 



" Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things 
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Christ Jesus.'" — Phil., iii., 13, 14. 



NEW YORK: 

THE CHRISTIAN AT WORK. 

1891. 






J f 



e^ 



■*> 



72149 



Copyright, 1891, by 
THE CHRISTIAN AT WORK, 



PREFACE. >.; 



NO one is more surprised at the publication of this 
volume than myself. When I wrote these articles 
it was not with the intention of printing them in book 
form. They were simply written for and printed in the 
now well-known department, " The Christian Life," which 
was many years ago introduced in The Christian at Work 
by the»writer, who until the present time has edited it 
exclusively. Although written for a religious paper, and 
not for preservation in this more permanent form, I have 
been induced to print this book at the request of many who 
have found these editorials on the Christian life helpful, 
and have learned each week to look for and prize them. 
This volume, therefore, consists simply of a few selections 
of original articles and editorials from this department of 
the paper, and is especially intended for a place in the 
family library. Nothing, however, is here printed that 
has appeared within the last two or three years, and many 
of the articles were written long before that time, some of 
which I have partially rewritten for this especial presen- 
tation. This part of the book needs no introduction to 
its new readers, many of whom will doubtless be already 
somewhat familiar with portions of it. I can only hope 
that these short and rather hastily written sketches may 
not lose whatever of helpfulness they seem to have pos- 
sessed by being thrown into this more permanent form, 
where they can be read more leisurely and critically, and 
at such times as the various members of the family may 
feel so inclined. The true Christian life is progressive, 
and both the old and the young need all the encourage- 
ment and help in this direction that can possibly be given 
them. The mission of this little book is simply to give 
such help, and, with this object particularly in mind, it 
has been issued in such illustrated form as to be attrac- 



PREFACE. 



tive to the young, although its matter is intended more 
especially to instruct, comfort, and help the older mem- 
bers of the family. 

The various forms of prayers for family worship, at the 
close of the volume, are not added to make the book pop- 
ular. Indeed, there is in many minds a deep-seated preju- 
dice in regard to any printed forms of prayer; and the 
same objection appears, only less in degree, to printed 
forms of grace at meals, and even to the children's pray- 
ers. Prayer is a mockery unless it comes from the heart, 
and hence some feel that sincere feelings and impulses 
can be expressed by no set form of words, but simply by 
the spontaneous and unrestrained language that comes 
bursting from a full heart. We sympathize with such; 
indeed, there is no prayer mentioned in the Bible as being 
more acceptable to God than the simple, broken-hearted, 
and almost despairing cry of the publican, "God be mer- 
ciful to me a sinner." Such a prayer from a broken and 
contrite spirit will always be heard. But while we feel 
the necessity of always praying " from the heart," we 
should be careful and not allow ourselves to be unreason- 
ably ptejudiced against set expressions, sentences, or 
devout and fixed forms of prayer. A spirit of devotion 
does not necessarily imply the ability to always give clear 
expression in words. Many a good Christian is rather 
hindered than helped by inability to adequately express 
his feelings of love, gratitude, and devotion in the hear- 
ing of others. The early disciples realized this, even 
while in the Master's inspiring presence; and with a 
directness and simplicity which, in our ignorance and pov- 
erty of utterance, we will do well to emulate, they asked 
to be taught how to pray. Our Saviour recognized their 
need, and respected their request by complying with it. 
He gave them a " form " of prayer; and who will say they 
were afterward less sincere and devout in their worship 
because they sometimes felt impelled to use the very 
words of the Master? 

I am indebted to so many of my friends for valuable 
suggestions and material assistance in regard to this feat- 
ure, that I can here only acknowledge my great obliga- 
tions and return thanks to all collectively. It may be 
interesting to the reader, as it was to me, to learn the 



PREFACE. 5 



significant fact that from nearly thirty of our best-known 
and most devout clergymen — to each of whom I had sent 
a private note requesting, for this purpose, a short, sim- 
ple, and original form of family prayer — came back the 
modest response: "I have tried, but made a miserable 
failure. I pray thee have me excused. " These were the 
very men I did not wish to excuse, and as all most heart- 
ily endorsed this feature of my book, I sent to each a 
second and more urgent note, in response to which, from 
nearly every one, I received such chosen or original form 
of prayer as he deemed most suitable for family worship. * 
In most instances the prayer is original in its language, 
and was written especially for this volume, one of the 
longest and best of these being the excellent Sunday morn- 
ing prayer from our well-known friend and contributor, 
Rev. Dr. Cuyler, near the close of the book and under- 
neath his portrait. It will be seen, therefore, that the 
various forms of family prayers in the last few pages of 
this book have either been very carefully chosen, or written 
especially for this purpose, by the best and most sin- 
cere Christian men of our time. The feature was sug- 
gested by the fact that in social conversation with the 
writer, many persons have plead timidity, ignorance, and 
kindred excuses as an apology for neglecting family pray- 
ers. Very many, when the subject has been referred to, 
have confessed that they would be glad to observe this 
time-honored custom of their fathers, but feel a reluctance, 
which they cannot overcome, to engage in prayer in the 
presence of others. This is not a sufficient excuse for 
the neglect of a plain duty, but as it prevails to a great ex- 
tent it is well to try to remove it. With these excellent 
forms of prayer at hand, no one can reasonably plead 
such an excuse. If necessary, a prayer may be read; 
all joining in the Lord's Prayer at the close. But it is 
still better to study the prayers and familiarize one's 
self with the different forms of expression, as here set forth 
from the hearts and lips of these earnest Christians. Words 



* I trust I commit no breach of confidence in stating that such well-known names 
as Behrends, Hall, Phillips Brooks, R. S. Storrs, Fisher, Taylor, Doolittle, Ingersoll, 
Parkhurst, Whitaker, C. L. Thompson, Junor, Deems, Chester, Ludlow, Van Dyke, 
and many others equally well known for their piety and good works, are among those 
to whom I wrote, nearly every one of whom is here represented by an original form 
of prayer, or such a selected form as he deemed most suitable for the family. 



PREFACE. 



and sentences are simply vehicles of thought, ideas, and 
feelings, and the best and most worthy Christian must 
learn how to use them before he can convey his sentiments 
to others, or even fitly express his emotions of reverential 
love, gratitude, and praise. It is true 

" Prayer is the simplest form of speech 
That infant lips can cry." 

But we should not be content to forever remain infants in 
the Christian life. We must strive to attain to those 
heights of spiritual vision where we shall find in our own 
experience come welling up from our hearts and lips, 

" Prayer — the sublimest strains that reach 
The Majesty on High." 

It is a duty, therefore, as well as a great and biessed priv- 
ilege, to familiarize the mind with the Lord's Prayer, and 
with the prayers of good men. These different forms of 
expression should by no means supersede or interfere 
with the daily practice of extempore prayer; rather use 
them as the lame use a staff — to lean upon at such times 
as you feel the need, and cannot do better without their 
assistance. If used in this way, they will prove, we trust, 
with the rest of the book, a constant source of strength 
and help. 

J. N. Hallock. 

New York City, December 14, 1891. 




Preface pages 3 to 6 

Contents " 7 " 8 

Full-Page Illustrations " 9 " 10 

Frontispiece. 



PAGE 

What is Christian Life? 11 

Our Besetting Sin 15 

Heavenly Mindedness 17 

Christ the Vine 21 

The Signs of the Times 23 

Letting the Light Shine 25 

Glorification through Death.. 27 
The Mountains and their Sug- 
gestions 31 

The Lord our " Rock" 36 

" Ye must be born again".... 41 

Speak the Truth "in Love".. 44 

Little Sermons 47 

Home without Spiritual Life. 49 

Faithful unto Death 51 

"If" 52 

The Value of Time 53 

Christian Sympathy 55 

The Grace of Ignorance 57 

The Christian's Race 61 

Mary Magdalene's Reward... 63 

Walking with God 67 

The Blessings and Power of 

Prayer 69 

True Religion not Damaged 

by Adversity 71 

Girding on the Armor 75 

Don't be too Busy 77 

Little Things 79 

The Love of God 83 

Not Incomplete 85 

" First Pure" 87 

" Then Peaceable" '. . .. 91 

" Gentle and Easy to be En- 
treated" 94 



PAGE 

" Full of Mercy" — Forgive- 
ness •. . .. 98 

The Real Source of Power... 100 

" And Good Fruits" 101 

Bread upon the Waters 103 

What is Prayer? 107 

The Anchor of the Soul no 

In the Shepherd's Care 113 

The Wheat and the Tares.. . 117 

God's Special Care 119 

The Christian's Possessions.. 121 

A Spiritual Atmosphere 125 

A Good Name 129 

God's Discipline 131 

Crossing the Rubicon of Trial 133 

A City of Refuge 137 

" Watch" 139 

God's Instruments 141 

Is Life Worth Living ? 145 

Character 148 

Will it Pay? 151 

" Peace, be Still!" 154 

Christian Cheerfulness 155 

" He Saith" 157 

A Stranger and a Pilgrim... . 159 

God " Our Father" 161 

Faith of Woman 163 

Despondency 167 

Be not Weary in Well Do- 
ing 170 

Affliction and Tribulation... . 171 

Laboring in the Vineyard. ... 173 

Sufficient unto the Day 174 

A Beloved Disciple 177 

Put your Heart in It 179 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Called and Chosen: And 

Faithful 181 

One Restful Day 183 

The Joy of the Morning 185 

Our Tender Shepherd 187 

Lessons of the Day 190 

Every-day Christian Life... . „ 192 

Perfect Trust 194 

Our Old Enemies 195 

Moral Beauty 199 

What Are We Doing? 200 

" No God"... 202 

Cause and Effect 204 

God's Omniscience 206 

The Father's Way 208 

God's Crucible 210 

Full and Free Forgiveness.. . 211 

Little Sins 213 

Crowns 214 

What is Rest? 215 

My Presence Shall Go with 

Thee , 216 

Planning and Doing 217 

Not Our Own 219 

Restraining Grace 221 

Under Sealed Orders 223 

Waiting on the Lord 224 

Neither Cold nor Hot 225 

God's Laws Inflexible 227 

Grace Will Tell 229 

Take Near Views 231 

The Branch and the Vine. . .. 233 

Self-Denial 238 

Ambition for Greatness 239 

Just Once 241 

Common Sense in Religion... 243 
Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. . 244 
The Real Source of Power. . . 246 
Ask and Ye shall Receive. . . 247 

Individual Responsibility 249 

Doing Heartily 251 

Perverting the Truth 253 _ 

A Rainbow in the Clouds 255 

Words Fitly Spoken 258 

Recognition in Heaven 261 

Power in Right Music 263 

Light and Love 267 

Alone with God 268 

Euroclydon 269 

The Prince of Peace 272 



PAGE 

Giving up Old Hopes 274 

Advantages of Confessing 

Christ 275 

Our Responsibility 279 

How Are We Building? 281 

The Master Impulse 282 

Light is Sown for the Right- 
eous 283 

The Devices of the Tempter. 285 
Their Eyes were Holden. . . . 288 

The Daily Task 291 

Sunlight in Autumnal Davs... 293 

The Will of God 297 

Conquer as You Go 299 

But One Petition 303 

He Will Bring it to Pass. . . . 307 
Treasures in Earthen Ves- 
sels 309 

Work That Endures 311 

Personal Obligation 315 

Childhood of Jesus 317 

His Ways Are not Our Ways. 319 

The Human Tide 323 

The Living Bread 325 

An Olive-tree 329 

A Few Days 331 

Does Jesus Care? 333 

The Church at Laodicea. ... 337 

Sadness and Solace 341 

Waiting for Feeling 343 

Missionary Work 347 

In Everything Give Thanks. 350 

Giving Thanks 351 

New Year Thoughts 355 

The Hopes of Easter-tide 357 

Sweetness of Spirit 360 

If They Could Come Back. . 361 

Old-fashioned Christians 364 

On Christmas Day 367 

Fidelity 370 

The Preciousness of Christ. . 373 

Your Sunday Reading 376 

What Will Ye Give Me?. . . . 378 

The World 380 

Beginning at Jerusalem 383 

Children's Prayers 390 

Family Prayers 391-413 

Common Forms of Grace dur- 
ing Meals 414-415 

The Lord's Prayer 416 



FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Frontispiece. 

The Mount of Olives 30 

Mount Ararat 33 

The Mountains and their Suggestions (View on the Jordan) 35 

Mount Olivet from St. Stephen's Gate 37 

Gethsemane 43 

I Will Instruct Thee (Text) 45 

O Lord, How Manifold (Text) 59 

Mary Magdalene's Reward 63 

Ark of the Covenant 65 

Florence Nightingale 73 

Christ Blessing Little Children 81 

The Wild Palm 89 

He That Walketh Uprightly (Text) 100 

The Annual Overflow of the Nile 105 

Anchor of the Soul 111 

In the Shepherd's Care 115 

Thou Shalt Guide Me (Text) 135 

A City of Refuge 137 

The Altar of Sacrifice 143 

Tribute Money 150 

The Sea of Galilee 176 

He That is Without Sin 197 

The Way of Peace 209 

Thou Crownest the Year (Text) 235 

Jesus of Nazareth Passeth By 245 

Characteristic Oriental Scene 265 

The Prince of Peace 273 

Sunlight in Autumnal Days 295 

He That Overcometh (Text) 30T 

Wash Me, and I Shall be Whiter than Snow 306 

9 



io FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 

TAGE 

Thy Kingdom Come (Text) 313 

The Ascension of Our Lord 321 

The Table of Shew Bread 327 

Elijah Fed by Ravens 328 

Steps in the Rocks Leading to Mt. Sinai 335 

Laodicea 339 

The Pool of Siloam 343 

Ancient Gethsemane 345 

Thanksgiving 353 

Bird's-eye View of Jerusalem 385 

Watch and Pray (Text) 387 

Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D 411 




WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LIFE? 



COMMON error is to suppose that 
we are doing the Lord's work 
only when we are engaged in de- 
votional exercises or laboring for 
the conversion of sinners, or for 
the edification of Christians. 
That which a man does heartily, 
as unto the Lord, is the Lord's 
work. The farmer, when he is 
carefully and wisely cultivating 
the soil, is doing the Lord's 
work. Plowing is as truly a 
religious act as praying. The 
merchant when he makes an 
honest exchange is doing the 
Lord's work. Dealing justly is 
as truly a religious act as warn- 
ing sinners to flee from the wrath to come. A man is 
doing God's work when he is doing that which pleases 




12 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

God. A man is doing the Lord's work when he is faith- 
ful to his employer — does a fair day's work; when he 
takes proper care of his health; when he governs his 
temper; when he is careful to speak the exact truth; when 
he is courteous to strangers and lends a helping hand to 
the needy; when he has a word of encouragement for the 
desponding; when he sets an example of industry and 
honesty; when he returns good for evil; when he leads 
such an upright, benevolent, God-honoring life, that men 
take knowledge of him that he has been with Jesus. 
Religion does not consist solely in reading the Bible, 
praying, attending church and laboring for the conversion 
of men. These are important duties, but they do not 
include the whole of duty. God's will has reference to 
every act of our lives. 

Let us see wherein this differs from the secular life. 
The two may be, and frequently are united in the same 
individual. We are all obliged to attend to the every- 
day business of life, and it is right that we should do 
so, but this Christian life is something different from, 
while at the same time it enters into an ordinary life. 
Some of the most prominent characteristics of a truly 
Scriptural and spiritual Christian life are the following: 

i. Christian life is life in Christ. He is our very life. 
"Not I, but Christ liveth in me," and to the close we are 
dependent on him for everything, and do all things 
through Christ who strengthened us. 

2. Christian life is life in the Spirit. Christ seals it, 
sustains it, and is the substance of it. We "live in the 
Spirit" and "walk in the Spirit." All our graces are 
"the fruit of the Spirit." We are illuminated by the 
Spirit, " strengthened" by the Spirit, and " filled" with the 
Spirit, and we are warned against grieving and quenching 
this Blessed Friend. 

3. Christian life is resurrection life. The believer is 
regarded as a man who has died with Christ as to his old 
sins and sinful nature, and is no longer his former self. 
His life is not a modification or improvement of the old 
life, but a new nature imparted directly from the heart of 
Christ and as free from all former sin as Christ is now 
free, as fully accepted in the beloved as the beloved Son 
himself; as truly the child of God as Jesus is; and with 



WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LIFE? 13 

aspirations as high and heavenly as his high and heavenly 
origin; "buried with Christ," " risen with Christ," " quick- 
ened together with Christ," made to "sit together with 
Christ in heavenly places," called to "know the power of 
his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings." 
* 4. Christian life is a life of separation from the world 
and sin. " It has crucified the flesh with its affections 
and lusts." It can say, "The world is crucified unto me, 
and I unto the world." It must " seek the things that are 
above," and "mortify the members that are on the earth." 
It must "put off the old man with his deeds;" its "con- 
versation" must be as "in heaven," remembering ever 
that they who mind earthly things are " enemies of the 
cross of Christ." 

5. Christian life is a life of conflict; "conflict with the 
flesh," which " lusteth against the Spirit;" conflict with 
principalities and powers — the rulers of the darkness of 
this world — wicked spirits in heavenly places. And the 
nearer we get to the gates of triumph, the thicker grow 
the opposing hosts, and the more trying the ordeal of 
temptation. But the panoply is sufficient and the victory 
is sure. 

6. Christian life is a strife, an ardent desire for prac- 
tical holiness. Nothing is more emphasized in the Epis- 
tles of Paul than the common virtues of life, the ordinary 
relationships, the petty moralities, the domestic and social 
obligations, which a true spiritual life ought to bring out 
and show in the best light. Such a life ought not even 
to need being so pointedly reminded of these things. But 
the blessed Teacher knows that these very things are the 
truest test of real spirituality, and the most influential 
testimonies of our religion before the world. As the 
greatest minds are always the most perfect masters of de- 
tails, as the truest chronometer is as exact in measuring 
seconds as hours, so the holiest saint will ever prove the 
most faithful father, husband, wife, child, servant or 
neighbor. 

7. Finally, the true Christian life is a life not only 
of working and suffering, but of waiting and hoping for 
the coming of Christ and the glory of his resurrection, 
looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing 
of the great God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, " pressing 



14 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God 
in Christ." 

Let not thy days be passed in hope or fear 
Of joys and cares that future time may bring : 
To-morrow is not thine for any thing. 
The need for love and duty lieth near. 
Nor brood o'er thoughts and follies of thy past : 
It is too late for thought or action there. 
From " all existence " learn thy lesson vast, 
And put to shame thy life of petty care. 
To-day is all that thou canst call thine own : 
Now is the hour for noble thoughts and deeds. 
Let Truth, Love, Beauty, speak to thee alone, 
Or give thyself to help the common needs. 
Thus shall thy life grow ever more sublime, 
And thou shalt learn of deeper things than time. 




OUR BESETTING SIN. 




HEN day after day we^find ourselves 
drawn — often against our better 
instincts — in the same direction 
and trapped by the same sin, we 
must come at last to the unpleasant 
conclusion that we have a cer- 
tain partnership in evil, that there 
is something in the realm of wick- 
edness which has a right to be 
called our sin. It does not affect 
the conclusion whether we are an- 
gered at the partnership, or blush at if, or accept it with- 
out feeling; the fact of partnership is there. The easily 
besetting sin is steadily and powerfully influencing us, 
however we may disguise the fact. 

There are two ways of looking at this easily besetting 
sin. Many of us it blinds to our true position. Our 
tendencies are not generally evil ; so we reason that we 
do not do this thing, we do not do that; we are not as 
bad as some other men, and these things we emphasize, 
while we are apt to pass over slightingly the one sin we 
do commit. " Men must be allowed their little weak- 
nesses," we say, and we feel that one evil among so much 
good ought not to be very severely regarded. 

This is assuredly a most comfortable way of regarding 
besetting sins, and I think that as a general thing men 
are thus linked to evil mainly by a single sin. Few ever 
break the whole law; our natures fortunately are not large 
enough to make us guilty of all ; the restraints of circum- 
stances are usually such as to leave a loophole in the life 
of every person for only a few, and often it happens to be 
a simple, willful, persistent besetting sin that we are 
entertaining and excusing. If we are unable to feel as 
we ought on this subject, Christ's words ought to destroy 
our complacency and incite us to action: "Whosoever 
shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he 
is guilty of all." 

15 



1 6 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Surely the great Comforter, who delighted in nothing 
so much as giving men peace, would not have said that 
if it had not been necessary and if it had not been a 
tremendous truth. 

When we come to our besetting sin, instead of asking 
for indulgence we have really come to the crisis of spirit- 
ual life. It is no trifle, however small it may be; but, 
on the contrary, it just represents the point where we are 
bound to evil, and to break with sin entirely is to break 
with it at this point. The first consciousness of the new 
birth is usually a determination to break with this sin; 
then we may believe we are living unto God. We can 
see the important place this sin occupies by looking at 
the weakness it introduces into the whole life. If we are 
free from a multitude of other sins, so much the better, 
but also so much the more important is it to break with 
that one. Though every organ of the body but one be 
healthy, fatal disease in that one is fatal to all. Why 
should it not be in the soul, even as in material things? 
No chain is stronger than its weakest link, and this holds 
good in character. Our great enemy, walking up and 
down in the earth, finds the weak spot, and then farewell 
to strength; our easily besetting sin conquers us. 

Everything is concentrated here; it is the key to the 
whole position. As long as there is one place of com- 
munication between the soul and sin, so long the old life 
is let in, and we shall find ourselves as weak as our weak- 
est point. In all other respects we maybe models; in 
great matters we may be firm; and yet a little folly may 
destroy all and bring our entire character down to its own 
weak level. 

The Christian's character is like a chain of large and 
massive links which lies on the deck of an ocean steamer 
in rusty coils, to be used to keep the great ship away from 
danger. Can you imagine the captain examining such a 
chain, and on finding one link with a flaw in it, saying, 
"On the whole this is a good chain; one weak spot, but 
all the rest as strong as need be; it will do?" The judg- 
ment of that captain is wisdom itself in comparison with 
the utter folly of those of us who risk our eternal well- 
being on one wilful, known besetting sin. 




HEAVENLY 

MINDEDNESS. 



is the part of wisdom to let 
worldly cares and enjoyments 
hang loosely about us, so that 
when "the inevitable hour" 
comes we may let them fall like 
a mantle, and take our depar- 
ture unregretfully. Ripened 
fruit falls easily. So when the 
heart of the Christian is truly 
weaned from the world, death 
may come at any time and find 
him ready. It is possible to be 
in the world and yet not of it, 
to perform its proper tasks and allotted duties fully and 
bravely, while yet our supreme desires and affections are 
set on things above. If we allow worldly cares and per- 
plexities to weave themselves about our hearts so firmly 
that they cannot rise above the level of our common life, 
then are we companioning ourselves with the beasts of 
the field, who live in the present only, and whose whole 
range of being is comprised within the circle of sensual 
gratification. Heavenly-mindedness comes from a con- 
templation of the things that are pure, and right, and holy; 
from a study of God's Word, and an application of its 
precepts to our daily life. It is not possible to have this 
frame of mind except it be with a consciousness that we 
are accepted of God, and have received forgiveness of 
sins. While the windows of the soul are darkened by sin 
and unbelief, we cannot expect that the sunshine will pour 
in to cheer and lighten its innermost recesses, and draw 
its thoughts heavenward. The mind that is set on spirit- 
ual delights, that loves to commune with God, and finds 
its chiefest joys in doing his service, will not be ruffled 

a 17 



1 8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

by every disappointment in life, or broken by its calami- 
ties, for these things it rightly regards as transitory, and 
of no account in comparison with things that come after, 
that are sure and eternal. Clothed in such serenity and 
peace, the soul may move through the midst of trials and 
griefs, such as come to all of us, like a great strong ship 
whose course is not stayed by the buffeting of the winds 
and waves, because it has a certain port to gain, and a 
pilot who knows how to guide it there. 

" Lo, I am with you alway," were the farewell words 
of our blessed Saviour to his mourning disciples, but 
the promise made to them was meant for every one of 
earth's sorrowing children. "I," the Infinite One, the 
"friend that sticketh closer than a brother," the lov- 
ing, tender shepherd, "I am with you." And for how 
long a time? "Alway." Have bereavements come upon 
you ? Have earthly friends become estranged and for- 
saken you ? Have misfortunes overtaken you, and swept 
away every temporal comfort ? Do grief and care walk 
hand in hand beside you? Are the wayside blossoms 
beaten down by the storms of adversity ? Is the song 
gone out of your heart and the light out of your life? 
Oh! famishing, drooping soul, look up! Hear the tones 
of infinite pity and love, " I will not leave you comfort- 
less." " Lo, I am with you alway." What though the 
daily task be hard, and the life path be rough? What 
though affliction, sorrow, pain, sit ever unwelcome guests 
around your hearthstone? What though death touch with 
icy fingers the lips you love, and set his seal upon the 
marble brow, and hush forever the voice whose tones 
made sweetest music ? Reach out and touch the Divine 
hand extended toward you ; open your eye of faith to be- 
hold your Saviour walking with you in loving companion- 
ship, heeding all your sighs and counting all your tears. 
Lean upon his arm which is ever outstretched to enfold and 
uphold you, and that moment you will be able to say, 

" I'm walking close to Jesus' side, 

So close that I can hear 
The softest whispers of his love 

In fellowship so dear, 
And feel his great almighty hand 
Protects me in this hostile land." 




CHRIST THE SHEPHERD. 



EXT to that of Father, one of the 
dearest and tenderest of all the 
figurative characters of Christ is 
that of the Shepherd, the Good 
Shepherd. The Master was wont 
frequently to apply that title to 
himself, and to speak of his fol- 
lowers as his flock. In nearly all 
the Eastern countries we know 
there was no occupation held in 
more respect and honor than that 
of the shepherd. A man could not be a good shepherd 
unless he .was kind, patient, tender, and watchful. He 
had to be all this to care properly for the tender and 
defenceless lambs, and to protect his flock from the 

19 




affile 



ss^^JKfl 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



ravages of wild beasts. The good shepherd knew each 
member of his flock by name, and was known of them. 
They came gladly at his call; they followed willingly 
whithersoever he led the way. Not one, from the smallest 
and weakest to the oldest and strongest, was overlooked 
or neglected. By daylight and starlight, through sunshine 
and storm, the shepherd stood by his flock with ever- 
watchful eyes. How completely the figure of the shepherd 
sets forth the relations which the Saviour bears to those 
who put their trust in him. Only the tenderness, love, 
and patience of Christ are infinite, wide, and boundless as 
eternity. The pastures where he feeds his flocks are 
always fresh and bountiful; those who follow him need 
never thirst or hunger, or have aught to fear. How 
sweet the thought of being one of the flock of Christ, to 
be cared for, to be watched over, to be guided day by day 
by the wonderful and compassionate Son of God. Who 
would not gladly follow the beckonings of such a shep- 
herd as he ? 

Christ is also called the Door. He is the door that 
opens eternal life, the only one. There is no other way 
to heaven but through the merits of the blood of Christ. 
Men have been seeking for other doors ever since the 
world began; they have knocked and knocked at what 
they thought were doors, but no answer has come back, 
and they have not entered in. Christ is the Open Door, 
and all who seek an entrance through him will find the 
way prepared for their feet, and happy welcome all along 
to cheer them on, greetings and God-speeds to lighten 
the journey. Christ the Door is ready to-day to receive 
to himself all those who will come and enter into com- 
munion with him. Shall any one who reads these words 
say he has not known the door ? 





CHRIST THE VINE. 




NDER this title our Saviour 
is often presented to us, and 
of all the figurative titles 
applied to Christ in the 
Scriptures there is none 
more suggestive than that 
of the vine. " I am the 
vine," says the Master to 
his disciples, " ye are the 
branches." What figure 
could illustrate more strik- 
ingly than this the vital 
union which exists between 
the true believer and Christ, 
the Head of the Church! The true Christian has his 
very being in Christ, receives from Him every invigorat- 
ing impulse, every enlarging desire and motive, every per- 
fecting grace. The branches of the vine are strong and 
fruitful just in proportion as they are firmly and deeply 
engrafted on the main body. If, for any reason, they be- 
come partially disconnected, their hold upon the vine 
loosened, they at once grow poor and feeble, and if not 
soon reunited, wither and die. The Christian who neg- 
lects the means of grace, who falls into a loose and care- 
less observance of God's laws, soon loosens his connection 
with the Vine, and is in danger of becoming- a dead and 
withered branch in the vineyard. 

21 



22 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



As the natural vine holds up and supports its branches 
free from the earth and its entanglements, so does Christ 
the Vine bear aloft his followers above the world, above 
its cares and perplexities, above its trials and griefs. All 
the branches have to do is just to cling firmly, to trust 
wholly and grow. It is the Vine that gives the life, the 
strength, the power to bear fruit. The sincere, trustful 
Christian depends upon the Vine. Christ is his all in all. 

In contrast to the above, Christ is also called a Rock. 
He is a firm and sure basis for all who will build upon 
him. He is the Rock, the everlasting, unchangeable Rock. 
Those who flee to him for refuge are never given over or 
betrayed to the enemy. He standeth sure through all 
the vicissitudes of this world, the storms, the perils, 
dangers, seen and unseen. Who would not seek the shel- 
ter of this Rock, the living Rock, Christ Jesus? 




THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 




RISES in history 
always call forth 
men able and 
ready to meet 
them. One may 
look for them in 
vain beforehand, 
and be ready to 
despair of their 
existence, but 
somewhere, out 
of the way, they 
are in course of 
preparation, and 
when the time 
comes they ap- 
pear. So whenever God has a special work to be done 
he raises up a special man to do it, and prepares him 
specially for it. All these giants in history have this one 
great characteristic in common, that they understood the 
times. We do not read very much about the tribe of 
Issachar in the Scriptures, and yet it is no faint praise 
that is lavished upon them in the words, they were "men 
that had understanding of the times to know what Israel 
ought to do." They were quiet, observant men, who kept 
their eyes upon the signs of the times, and were therefore 
well fitted to be wise and able counsellors. There is a 
very practical meaning in these words; they reveal to us 
very clearly what churches, that. is, ministers, members, 
and people are meant to be. They should be like the 
children of Issachar, men who have understanding of the 
times to know what ought to be done. 

It is hardly necessary to illustrate this in national life. 
No man can be a true or practical statesman who has not 

23 



24 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

a clear and timely sagacity. No merchant can be suc- 
cessful who has not the talent of clear discernment, and 
can any one think for a moment that religion is a matter 
of less concern and interest than any earthly business? 
Many act so indeed, but I believe that if you could sum- 
mon all the merchant princes of the earth, and ask them 
seriously what they consider the most important matter 
in the world, they would admit that the merchandise of 
religion is of more importance than the merchandise of 
silver. All men recognize it theoretically, but here is the 
great difficulty, — the wares of religion, so to speak, are 
immaterial, and cannot be seen or handled, and so they 
come to be considered unreal. Religion thus has no 
market value. Spiritual things cannot be estimated in 
money, and a man's services as a minister of the Gospel 
cannot be computed in dollars and cents. These are all 
spiritual things, and far removed from earthly rewards, 
but at the same time salvation has its value; even to the 
carnal judgment that value is greater than that of silver 
or gold. 

"Godliness is profitable," and profit is what every mer- 
chant aims to secure; godliness pays. Why, then, cannot 
practical men be persuaded to give this subject practical 
attention? You who have "understanding of the times," 
why not apply the same talents to religion as to business. 
Take the weight and dimensions of " the pearl of great 
price." Calculate the value of its daily help and strength, 
put religion to the test, and let us see whether, even in 
regard to this world, it does not bring gain; so that al- 
though in a lower sense you may be forsaking all to fol- 
low Christ, yet in a higher sense is it not true that every 
one who hath forsaken houses or lands or brethren for 
Christ does receive for it an hundred-fold? 




LETTING THE LIGHT SHINE. 




'HEN a person is first converted to Chris- 
tianity, it is generally a very easy mat- 
ter to let others know something of the 
comfort and satisfaction which religion 
affords. Then, as time goes on, there 
seems to grow a certain reserve in 
alluding to the subject. This is not. 
owing to coldness or indifference, per- 
haps, but to a kind of unwillingness to 
introduce a topic which might not be 
altogether agreeable to others. We 
should not act without judgment, but we must not forget 
that our Saviour told his disciples to let their light shine in 
such a way that others could see it. And when Jesus gave 
that injunction he knew aH about the different dispositions, 
temperaments, and characters which must, through all ages,' 
go to make up such as should be his disciples or followers! 
And there are so many ways in which the Christian's light 
may shine that no one is exempt from the Saviour's re- 
quirement in this respect. Mr. Moody says: "It is a great 
deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. 
Lighthouses don't ring bells and fire cannon to call atten- 
tion to their shining— they just shine." Nothing will 
commend religion to others like living a Christian life, 
and yet it may sometimes, at chosen intervals, be one's 
duty to talk about it too. How often it happens that a 
person, perhaps at the cost of considerable effort, makes 

25 



26 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

some serious remark, that is eagerly, even hungrily re- 
sponded to by a companion supposed to be utterly thought- 
less and careless concerning such subjects. 

A young lady when dying was in great distress of mind. 
On being asked why she had not thought of her soul and 
its interests while in health, she replied that no one had 
spoken to her about such things. The most pathetic and 
deplorable part of it was, that she had been living in a 
community of church-going Christian people. What kind 
of " lights" could they have been, that this poor child 
had failed so piteously to see them shining, and so knew 
nothing of glorifying her Father in Heaven! Like the 
several flowers in a garden, laden each with the dew 
of heaven, which, when shaken with the wind, they let 
fall at each other's roots, and thus are jointly nour- 
ished, Christians should become helpers, one to the 
other, in the Christian life. The dew of God's grace 
is given freely as the dew of heaven, and in falling it 
lights on hearts of many different moulds. The perfume 
of some lives is surely richer and fuller than that of 
others, and yet when shaken with the wind of God's love 
each lowly flower sends out its dew, a portion of its own 
sustenance, to help sustain or nourish others. 

Many true, earnest Christians lament the fact that they 
seem to be able to do almost nothing to show forth the 
love they have for God, and their real desire to promote 
the cause they have so near at heart. But there is always 
the strong, potent power of prayer. A lady once spoke 
of certain friends whom it was her duty and privilege to 
benefit, without their being able to make return; "but," 
she added, " they are good people and we have their prayers, 
which I value a great deal." Quite as much as temporal 
benefits, and even vastly more, are the prayers of good peo- 
ple, whose only payment can be prayer for God's blessings, 
sure to be sent in answer. Woe to those so-called Chris- 
tians who profess to serve God, but make no effort to send 
out a saving light into a world of sinners. Example in 
the right direction is much, and it often happens that a 
word of warning or encouragement falls as dew upon the 
flowers. Any earnest, prayerful effort to send out a saving 
light in the great garden of the Lord will surely gain 
the commendation of the great Lord of the harvest at last. 



GLORIFICATION THROUGH DEATH. 




VERY simple thing is the symbol of this 
great truth. A grain of wheat! A beau- 
tiful and complete thing, but small and 
valueless by itself. A single grain of 
wheat could keep no one alive ; you might 
as well throw it away or cast it in the 
ground. If you do the latter it dies, and 
in that death it finds its glory. There it 
softens and expands, it is given up to the 
forces of nature, the earth covers it, the 
sunshine warms it, the showers water it. 
They seem to take possession of it and 
put it altogether aside, but that burial 
place becomes the scene of a wondrous 
transformation; the spark of vitality is 
kindled by the very elements which seem 
to work its destruction. It lengthens 
downward and upward, becomes a green, 
beautiful stalk, and at length is laden 
with a score of such grains as it was 
itself, and becomes the prolific parent of countless har- 
vests in the future, until travelling in the West some day 
you will see vast towers and enormous buildings which 
look like the enginery of war. These are not buildings 
for defence, but the storehouses for the resurrections of 
your single grain of wheat. 

27 



28 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

From the interminable fields, stretching far as 'the eye 
can reach, undulating in the breeze like the waves of a 
tawny ocean, they bring in the grain, increased an hun- 
dredfold, and store it for the consumption of the world. 
When a famine occurs, even if it be in China, those great 
buildings are opened, and ship after ship departs laden 
with the golden grain to relieve misery and save life. 
What could the single grain of wheat have done toward 
that grand object? A hard, narrow, isolated thing, it 
could not have kept life in the smallest child. Only by 
death came its glorification. Sacrifice it in the sowing, 
and it will come again an hundredfold in the harvest. 

This mysterious but familiar principle underlies all 
nature, and without it the beauty and fertility of the world 
could not be unfolded; but it receives its highest exem- 
plification in Christ himself. All the operations of nat- 
ure are really but mute prophecies of him, and the first 
seed which sprang in the earth was a symbol of the Lamb 
slain for the sins of the world. Every harvest which God 
has sent, bearing fruit from the death of the seed, has 
been an illustration of him who pre-eminently was glori- 
fied through death. 

What a wonderful, transcendent fruitage sprang from 
that grave! It grows and flourishes around us, it covers 
all the earth, but whence came it? Nature tells that the 
harvest which now waves beneath the sun has been lying 
on the ground all through the winter, chilled with the 
frosts, drenched with the rains, buried in the grave of 
darkness, covered with a shroud of snow, but now it 
stands erect, crowned with beauty and bounty. 

How true a symbol this is of the Saviour's stormy life, 
the dreary seed time when the Divine seed was placed in 
the ground amid the wreck of life and beauty. But out 
of that hiding-place of God's power, out of that grave 
sprang life and immortality. All the nations of the world 
shall eat of the fruit of that harvest. Thus our Saviour 
lost his life, and found it again in the lives of others to 
whom he had imparted life. 

His personality became enlarged and increased by that 
very self-sacrifice which seemed at the time to have 
destroyed it. 

Some time since there were discovered some grains of 



GLORIFICATION THROUGH DEATH. 29 

wheat, bound tightly up in a mummy's wrappings. For 
centuries they had rested there unseen, until the dust of 
ages had gathered upon them. Hard, unfruitful kernels 
they had remained through all that time, of no use to the 
mummy and of no Value to the world ;but they were taken 
out and planted, and in one year had multiplied into a 
harvest. It was indeed a wonderful conservation of life 
which had preserved them for centuries, but can you im- 
agine anything more fruitless? When they died their 
fruitfulness began. 

Death, then, is not one of our enemies. It is deliver- 
ance from all the toils and troubles of life; it is reunion 
with loved ones, never to part again. The path lies 
through the valley of the shadow, and the chill night 
winds blow tumultuously, but this only leads to the bright- 
ness of the better world beyond. All our gain lies in 
death, the pain and peril lie in survival. 

What shall we do with our lives? We may live only to 
enjoy ourselves and care only for selfish amusement, we 
may close our eyes to all the sin and misery that reigns 
in the world, and keep out of sight the whole region of 
conscience, and so we may win the passing, perishable 
things of sense. But let us not think that a universal 
law will cease its operations on our account. This is a 
process of death, not of life. If we do this, we shall be 
like the cold, hard corn of wheat, which abideth alone in 
an isolated death-in-life, incapable of any growth, because 
kept out of the ground, living for itself. 




W : §§0mmf» 







THE MOUNTAINS- AND THEIR 
SUGGESTIONS. 




HEIR crowning rocks tower 
above us, and we almost 
look to see the angels 
alight, and their shining 
garments flash out against 
the blue sky. A thin 
white cloud floats up now 
along the mountain's ver- 
dure to its undimmed 
crest, just such as we be- 
lieved in happy child- 
hood bore angels. Alas, 
that we have grown wiser! 
But why mourn the sweet 
credulity of earlier days? 
Knowledge has brought 
pain, but reveals truth 
overtopping the wonder and bliss of dreams. We would 
be loath to barter the larger, richer pleasures of added 

31 



32 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



years, surely, for the child's heedless joy. From the 
humming bird, who scarce sways the scarlet blossom it 
woos at our feet, to the massive, superb peak almost kiss- 
ing the zenith, what a range of creation and thought! 
We bow in heart, adoring, to the Maker of all. He num- 
bers alike the hairs of our head, and sows the universe 
with myriad worlds; those worlds, shining upon us from 
their far heights, a reproach to our murmurings and rest- 
lessness. Mountains and stars tell us of fresh hopes and 
eternal repose. Even unbelief Nature sways to reverence. 
We knew one between whose riper faith and child worship 
there yawned a chasm of infidelity. Often a stroll in 
God's fair forests awoke in him the latent religious 
instinct, while doubt clouded it in God's sanctuary. 
From the mountain peak, when John Randolph saw the 
sun rise, flushing the illimitable circumference of view 
with light and glory, he said solemnly to his body servant, 
the only one present, "Never doubt there is a God." 
Such wonder of landscape and tint, such dome of sky, 
mocked at a chance creation. Sooner far shut from 
thought proud St. Peter's architects, and say that aisle 
and dome and altar and ornaments were blown together 
by idle breezes. But Bible faith, worshipping the Crea- 
tor, gathers many an association dear and sublime from 
sacred pages. How the most notable of these haunt 
about mountains! On Mount Ararat rested the ark and 
the remnant of our race above water that whelmed a 
world's woe and wickedness. Mount Moriah uplifted the 
altar that put to proof Abraham's surpassing faith, and 
brought, as ever, proportional blessing. Amid " thunder- 
ings, and the lightnings, and the noise of trumpets, and 
the mountain smoking," rang the law of a holy life from 
Mount Sinai. A Balaam and a Moses alternate grand 
dramas on Mount Pisgah. From two mountains, responsive 
blessings on the righteous, and cursings on the wicked 
nation, were uttered. God revealed to Elijah on Mount 
Carmel and Mount Horeb two chapters in the Bible 
which we may never read without bated breath. If we 
turn from the old to the new, from the dawning to the 
day of revelation, we remember how the devil, on " an 
exceeding high mountain," tempted Jesus in his human- 
ity, with a temptation that might not befall other men. 



34 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



"All the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" 
rolled at his feet in sumptuous pomp of procession. All 
that might gladden desire, or thrill imagination, or satiate 
ambition was there for his use; but with the condition — 
worship the bestower. "It is written," answers with 
quelling power. As the " Son of Man," Jesus opposed 
Scripture to alluring evil, but he speaks" with authority" 
in his Godhead, when he preaches the sermon on the 
mount. Who of us that would pray to be his disciple 
does not long to embody in a saintly life this the fullest 
of his teachings ? Slowly we turn to the Mount of Trans- 
figuration, though it shines w T ith the supernatural; but 
at the foot of the cross — -Mount Calvary — emotion over- 
powers. A beautiful ascension from Mount Olivet, and 
then the Lord our Saviour disappears from view. The pen 
of inspiration begins with the creation of the world, it 
closes with the revelation of heaven, and our spirit faints 
within us at the immensity, the supernal beauty of the 
vision. What an enlargement of sense to have seen in a 
single view from the mountain, "that great city, the holy 
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God!" Its stu- 
pendous walls, splendid with twelve diversely colored 
jewels, and set with twelve lustrous gates, three to a side, 
each several gate a pearl. Through their broadly flung 
portals we catch a glimpse of "the mansions" of pure 
gold, as it were transparent glass, " the river of water of 
life" overshadowed by its trees of fruit and healing, and 
we long to enter in. The walls shut out hope, but wide 
open stand the gates of pearl. They invite all to throng 
through, only an angel of might guards each, and we must 
beware to ask the Lord of the city for a passport. His 
promise is pledged to give freely to those who ask. For 
all who enter, strong and beautiful in their new immor- 
tality, there are joy, glory, power and holiness, the pres- 
ence and the peace of God. 



THE LORD OUR "ROCK." 




HE Bible is specifically distinguished 
from all other early literature by 
its delight in natural imagery. It 
is a matter of easy observation in 
the poetical and prophetical por- 
tions of Scripture how largely they 
deal with natural scenery, and the 
natural features of the earth. 
Things spiritual are illustrated by 
things natural, and God's dealings 
with his ancient people early im- 
pressed this upon them. There was that mysterious Rock 
to which they owed their lives during all their desert 
wanderings — type of that smitten Rock from which the 
waters gushed forth and followed them in their march. 
In like manner their descendants were placed in what was 
then one of the most beautiful districts upon the earth, 
full of glorious mountains and valleys, so that they be- 
came by these means and by the touch of God's hand upon 
their hearts, sensible to the appeal of natural scenery in 
a way equalled by no other people. We find their liter- 
ature, therefore, full of expressions not only testifying to a 
vivid sense of the power of nature over man, but show- 
ing the connection between natural and spiritual things. 
Rocks they learned to know and love and prize as the most 
enduring and stable of all things, and therefore the Lord 
was " their Rock." 

In that land of mountains, where stood the goodly Leb- 
anon and the snow-capped Hermon, they became familiar 
with the grandeur of God's works. The everlasting hills 
inspired them with ideas of permanence and eternity. In 
the diversity of the scenery, the rocks, which formed a 
large part of the landscape, lost all their ruggedness and 
roughness, became picturesque in their outlines, and clad 
in perpetual verdure, were beautiful to the eve. How 

36 



3 8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



often they found safe refuges in those same rocks, where 
the enemy could not find them and dared not attack them. 
The munitions of rocks were their defence, and a great 
part of the strength of the country. 

Just what the rocks are to the earth, the Lord is to human 
life — its strength and stability. Human life never amounts 
to very much unless it has Divine elements in it; man is 
but the sport of circumstances without them. There is no 
certainty of safety for any man who has not the Lord in 
his life. He may have resisted sin for a long time, and 
been tried often without failing; he maybe considered by 
his fellow-men noble and upright and true and good, but 
after all he has no rock in his life. Principle is strong, 
good habits are even stronger, but nothing less than deep- 
seated religious convictions and experiences, combined 
with a firm hold on the "Lord our Rock," and that help 
which comes from the " Everlasting Hills " of God's grace 
and power can make one secure. These are the founda- 
tions of life which are everlasting. They are not vague 
hopes or shadowy dreams like the architecture of the 
clouds, but are solid, substantial realities. They are not 
mere illusions, like those pictures reflected on the bosom 
of a lake, to be destroyed in an instant by the merest trifle, 
a pebble dropped by an idle hand, the wing of a passing 
breeze, a withered leaf falling from its tree, but they are 
truths which shall last when the heavens themselves shall 
be rolled up like a scroll. 

Were the truths concerning God destitute of certainty, 
they might be brilliant indeed, but it would be the bril- 
liance of the mirage, not of rock, gleaming in the sun- 
light. We need this element of certainty in our changing 
lives; in God alone we find it. He never changes. Amid 
the great mysteries of life which lie around us unexplored, 
in hopeless confusion, we can feel the everlasting arms 
underneath us. Amid the perpetual mutations of earth 
we may cling to the Eternal One, the Rock of Ages, against 
whom the waves of time and change will beat in vain. In 
the promise of the Gospel we have sure ground, beaten 
hard by the march of earth's wisest and best men, with 
whom we may with confidence exclaim, " The Lord is mv 
Rock." 




UNDERNEATH THE EVERLASTING 
ARMS. 



HE eternal " God is thy refuge, 
and underneath thee are the 
everlasting arms." Surely no 
promise could have been more 
infinitely precious than this, 
when its words fell upon the 
ears of the Israelites. It was 
wonderfully adapted to the cir- 
cumstances of a people who 
had been travelling houseless 
and homeless for a long time. The 
words had a homelike sound. The 
thought of stability and permanence 
must have been like music in the ears 
of this homesick people. Every bless- 
ing seemed to be contained in this 
promise, an abiding and unchanging 
dwelling-place where no evil could 
befall them, an everlasting arm to sustain and support 
them* strong enough to bear every burden, every care. 

The words come down to us as a priceless legacy from 
the God who is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, 
and we may each know for ourselves the comfort contained 
in them for every weary, heavy laden soul. The eternal 
God is our refuge, what need we care then if dark clouds 

39 




4o THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

of sorrow lower, and the bitter waters of affliction over- 
flow us? God will never leave nor forsake us, and pavil- 
ioned in his eternal love we need fear no evil. 

And God is not only a refuge, he is a dwelling-place. 
Too many of us are accustomed to go to God only in 
times of weakness, or to fly to him as a very present help 
only in time of trouble.* When the clouds gather and the 
storm breaks, then we turn to God to protect us, but when 
the storm has passed, and all is bright and fair again, we 
forget him as if we were now self-sufficient. We make 
God our refuge only, instead of our dwelling-place; we 
go to him as a covert for a little season till the danger is 
overpast, we do not make him our home. If we made 
God our dwelling-place as well as our refuge, it would 
alter our lives completely, and increase our happiness an 
hundredfold. 

Think for a moment what a blessed thing it is to dwell 
in God; then there is not one trouble that comes to us 
that we have to bear alone, not one joy that we have to 
share alone, not one purpose to make alone, not one 
temptation to conquer alone and unaided. The least event 
in our history quite as much as the greatest does not hap- 
pen to us alone, but God shares our life with us, and every 
moment we are dwelling in him with the everlasting arms 
beneath and about us. 

What a revolution it would make in our lives if we 
realized this! How many things would be left undone 
that now are done, how many new duties would be begun! 
What a new sanctity and sweetness would fill our joys, 
what deeper responsibility would invest our thoughts and 
actions, what victories we would gain over temptations 
that have heretofore defeated us! We would attach anew 
sacredness and greatness to our common life if we once 
felt that God was our constant dwelling-place, not simply 
our refuge in times of distress and trouble. Of course 
such times will come, but underneath us are the everlast- 
ing arms, strong enough to bear us up through any trouble, 
Should we ever be crushed by the burdens and cares of 
life as they gather about us, we can feel also the tight- 
ening of those everlasting arms which have borne so 
many precious souls through deepest waters safely to the 
other side. 



"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN." 




jHRIST taught that if 
there is no change of 
heart now, there will 
be no true religion here 
or bliss hereafter. 
"Ye must be born of 
water and of the 
spirit." This is a 
moral necessity. It 
could not from the 
nature of things be 
otherwise. " How can 
two walk together ex- 
cept they be agreed?" 
How can you love a 
holy God while you 
love and cherish sin? 
How can you at the 
same time love the 
world and the world- 
crucifying Christ ? 
How can you appreciate and take delight in exercises for 
which you have no relish? How can you be a loyal sub- 
ject of King Jesus while in rebellion against him ? How 
can you enjoy the companionship of regenerate souls with 
whom you have no affinity? Then think of the great 
hereafter — of heaven. How sweet is that word! It is 
the condensed expression of beauty, bliss, glory. All 
want to go thither at last. But do you know that heaven 
is a perfectly holy world, a purely religious place, a vast 
temple of incessant worship ? Do you know that all its 
inhabitants from earth are regenerated people, its joys 
are the joys of holiness, its songs are the praises of re- 
deeming love, its activities are the sweet obedience of 
loving hearts? Ask your own conscience solemnly, if 
you were taken there just as you are, without a thorough 

41 



42 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

change of your affections, would not its very air be 
oppressive, its services tedious, its employments irksome? 
Could you sing its songs? Could you shout praises unto 
him whom you have despised on earth? Verily not! 
That polluted heart within you would writhe amidst the 
blaze of infinite purity, and cry out, "This is not my 
place: I am a stranger to all these persons and enjoy- 
ments; I am not adapted to them." Yea, we may all sing 
in mournfully solemn tones: 

" Had I a throne above the Test, 

Where angels and archangels dwell, 
One sin unslain within my breast, 
Would turn that heaven to hell." 

Ah! then the loving, faithful Saviour utters a grand 
moral necessity when he says to us, " Ye must be born 
again!" God give you grace to see it and feel it. God 
grant that you may now be impressed as you have never 
been before with the fact, that whatever other experiences 
you may have of joy or sorrow, of prosperity or adversity, 
you must have this. God grant that the words, "Ye 
must be born again," may ring in your ears and toll their 
solemn cadences through every avenue of your being un- 
til you cry out, "Holy Spirit! change my heart. Work 
thy work of grace in me." Then shall it be done, and 
thou shalt stand up regenerated, redeemed, disenthralled, 
in all the dignity and bliss of "a new creature in Christ 
Jesus." 





GRTHSEMANE 



SPEAK THE TRUTH "IN LOVE." 




HERE is sometimes a harshness in 
presenting truth that effectually ob- 
structs its way in the mind of" the 
hearer. The study of this subject is 
a most important one, especially 
since the temptation to impatience 
is not uncommon among those who, 
by reason of a clear perception of 
the peril of the sinner, are earnestly 
seeking their salvation. 

One Sabbath evening in a certain 
church we lately witnessed the sad 
results of speaking the truth indeed, 
but not " in .love." Among several 
penitents bowing at the altar of 
prayer was a young man evidently awakened by the Holy 
Spirit to a sense of sin. Some one suggested in a cold, 
unfeeling way that it was proper thus to prostrate him- 
self; for such a life as he had led sooner or later must 
end in destruction. Now, while all this may have been 
true, it was too plainly evident that it was not the truth 
spoken in love, for the tone in which the remark was made 
showed that the speaker believed the young man insin- 
cere. The manner in which the words were spoken could 
scarcely fail to produce unfortunate results, for an implied 
censure was betrayed — an unnecessary prejudice thereby 
awakened. The peculiar tenderness so necessary in the 
winning worker was sadly wanting. That seeking soul 
was immediately set back; the lack of the constraining 
love of Christ in the instruction given vitiated that in- 
struction. Indeed, there was precipitated a needless re- 
volt in the penitent's mind at this, the most critical of all 
periods. That young man, with but partial views of the 
Saviour as yet, and in a condition to suffer embarrassment 
by any opposing circumstances, utterly yielded to tempta- 

44 



4 6 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



tion. The sinful self became dominant. Pride and pas- 
sion once more rallied. The penitents' seat was quickly 
abandoned. 

And even until this day the genuine signs of contrition 
on account of sin have not reappeared. There is at least 
a possibility, and we think a probability even, that the 
same instruction imparted in a different spirit at that hour 
would have ended in the conversion of the young man to 
a Christian life. Love, burning in the Christian's heart, 
is absolutely essential to the effective deliverance of the 
Gospel. Truth, however keen and penetrating, will gen- 
erally find at least partial acceptance when our words of 
warning are charged with all-conquering love. 





LITTLE SERMONS. 




way of 



NCE let men see not things alone, but the 

Divine light and life that stream through 

them, and then shall every day open new 

revelations; then shall the bird upon the 

wing and the flower in the field speak to 

them of God. Every swelling bud and 

every grass blade peeping from the cold, 

bare earth these spring days tell a mute 

story of resurrected life; speak in their own 

the goodness and mercy of the Heavenly father, 



48 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

" Plowers preach to us if we will hear, 
Lichen and moss and sturdy weed 
Tell of His love who sends the dew, 
The rain and the sunshine too, 
To nourish one small seed." 

Every flower that pushes its way from the dark mould 
under the revivifying of the sun's rays and the warm rain 
utters a protest against the cry, "There is no God," and 
lifts its petals in speechless astonishment at him who says 
that death ends all, that the grave is man's final destiny. 
Every petal that opens to the sun on these bright spring 
mornings preaches a resurrection sermon, and all the lily 
bells that swing their waxen tongues in the warm breezes 
are ringing anthems of praise to the Father and Maker 
of all. 

We too often think of God as only a great and mighty 
Being, terrible in majesty, awful in power. We see his 
manifestations in lightnings and earthquakes and pesti- 
lences, and think of him only as one who holds the sea 
in the hollow of his hand. We seem almost to forget 
that the same hand that created the vast things of the uni- 
verse, the stars and planets, suns and moons, that poured 
out the seas and set the mighty cataracts in motion, also 
painted the leaves of the tiniest flowers, and fashioned 
their delicate waxen petals, and hung the lilies of the 
valley in their swinging green belfries in the fields and 
woods. If we would study the works of God more among 
the little things of earth, the bright and beautiful things, 
we might learn more of his love and tenderness than we 
ever dreamed of before. He who made the flowers of the 
field to give forth exhaustless perfume, who clothed the 
birds with plumage of rainbow dyes and tuned their throats 
to sweet melodies; who fashioned the pearls in the depths 
of the sea and draped the sunset clouds in glory — such a 
Being must love the Beautiful, and who can love it truly 
and not be pure and wise and good? Deaf must he be to 
every inward calling, and blind to every outward summons, 
who can go forth in the fields on a beautiful spring morn- 
ing and not hear and see that God is good. The birds 
sing it; the leaves whisper it to one another; the flowers 
speak it forth; in every little thing Nature tells the story 
of goodness and love. 



HOME WITHOUT SPIRITUAL LIFE. 





HRISTIAN 

parents 
should spec- 
ially be care- 
ful how they 
strive for the 
worldly ad- 
vancement 
of their children at 
the hazard of their 
spiritual interests. 
It fills one at 
times with a kind 
of despair to see 
how those who 
profess to re- 
gard religion 
as all-impor- 
tant, subordin- 
ate it to almost 
every other thing in 
life; how educa- 
tional accomplish- 
ments, and choice of pursuits, and friendships and 
alliances, are discussed and fixed without this ever coming 
into serious view. Were it bodily infection it would 
fill them with alarm, but spiritual danger is lightly passed 
by. It is one great reason why Christianity makes so 
little progress, and why Christian families are constantly 
melting away into the worldliness around them; while the 
parents grieve to see their children lost, not only to vital 
religion, but even to that strength of mind and steadiness 
4 49 



5° 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



of purpose which are necessary to any firm position in 
life. 

Both worlds frequently slip from the grasp in the mis- 
erable attempt to gain the false glitter of the present, 
and the bitter waters of disappointment sweep, like the 
Sea of Sodom, over the ruins of fortune and fame coveted 
at the cost of consistent principle. Let the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness be sought and maintained in 
the first place; if worldly position follow, it will be hon- 
orably borne and usefully employed; and if God do not 
see fit to give it, there will be sufficient compensation in 
the pure and imperishable treasures with which he can 
fill the soul. 



Mm 





FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. 

HERE is nothing in Pompeii that invests 
it with a deeper interest than the spot 
where a soldier of old Rome displayed a 
most heroic fidelity. That fatal day in 
which Vesuvius, at whose feet the city 
stood, burst out into an eruption that shook 
the earth, a sentinel kept watch by the gate 
which looked to the burning mountain. 
Amidst the fearful disorder the sentinel 
had been forgotten, and as Rome required 
her sentinels, happen what might, to hold their posts till 
relieved by the guard or set at liberty by their officers, 
he had to choose between death and dishonor. Slowly, 
but surely, the ashes thicken on his manly form; now 
covering his lips, they choke his breathing. But he was 
"faithful unto death." After seventeen centuries they 
found his skeleton standing erect in a marble niche, clad 
in rusty armor, the helmet yet on his head and his bony 
fingers still closed upon his spear. 

After the flight of centuries how the thrilling tale still 
stirs earnest and true souls.! Faithful unto death! 

There comes a great comfort to the soul exercising 
fidelity. He sows his seed, it may be, in weakness. God 
gives the increase. 

We are only commanded to do the best we can, leaving 
results with God. 

In the terrible April gale of 185 1, the lighthouse on 
Minot's Ledge, near Boston, was destroyed. Two men were 
in it at the time, and a vast multitude was gathered upon 
the shore waiting, in anxious distress, for the expected 
catastrophe. Every hour, however, the bell tolled the 
time, and ever the light pierced the dark raging storm, and 
bade the sailor beware. No howling blast could silence 
the one or rising waves extinguish the other. At last one 
giant wave, mightier than the rest, rose up and threw its 
arms around the tower and laid it low in the waves. 
Then alone was the bell silent; then alone did the light 
cease to shine. 

51 




IF." 



NE of the shortest words in 
the entire language, but 
one on which hinges al- 
most every kind of pos- 
sibility or impossibility. 
Certainty is something 
for which mankind would 
give almost anything at 
certain times and under 
many circumstances. But 
to sift the matter down, because God is infinite and man 
is finite, the little " if" of our conversation must creep in 
and occupy its legitimate and unavoidable position in 
every plan we form, every joy we anticipate, every sorrow 
we experience. 

In all things pertaining to. this life and its conditions, 
the conditional word must be used, but there are joys we 
may anticipate, and a state of which we may be certain 
at last upon a few simple conditions; these met and ful- 
filled, there remains no uncertain " if" to trouble us. 

" Whosoever believeth on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved." There is no " if" here. No condition whatever 
limits the straight, plain assertion of these words save the 
one of belief. Though the earth should be removed and 
the mountaips be carried into the midst of the sea, it 
would in no wise affect the ultimate safety of the believer. 
It is strange that with all the lessons of change, acci- 
dent, disappointment and uncertainty, which attend all 
worldly transactions, Christians are willing to disregard 
the only certainties of which they can avail themselves. 
Contrast the worried, anxious countenance with which the 
merchant counts on his profits if the voyage is a success- 
ful one, if trade holds secure, if the stock remains valua- 
ble, with the untroubled serenity and placidity with which 
the true Christian can speak of his hopes. The world and 
everything it contains is but dross compared with the 
riches of the kingdom of God. 

52 



THE VALUE OE TIME. 




EVER, until the golden bowl is 
broken, will we realize the true 
value of this, one of the richest 
of all God's gifts to his finite crea- 
tures. All material success is 
born of a just appreciation of the 
minutes and a proper use of them. 
A thorough business man acts 
upon this knowledge, and bases 
his calculations upon it. Interest 
is calculated to the day. Rail- 
road time must be adjusted to the 
second; a five minutes' error may 
cause the loss of hundreds of 
lives. Men are discharged for 
aHowing their chronometers any 
variation whatever. Insurance 
companies date their policies from 
a certain hour of the day; five 
minutes earlier or later may save 
or lose a fortune. In the realm 
of mind, we should be equally chary of the moments. 
Any writer knows if the winged thought is not caught and 
chained at once, it may be gone forever, or may lose the 
vital force attending its birth. God is brought face to 
face with us in such vital utterances. There is a vitality 
rn them that communicates itself to the reader and makes 
a vivid impression that no mere repetition of words can 
convey; in short, there is a difference of a living, breath- 
ing spirit and a dead letter. 

Our spiritual life and work should be possessed of this 
vitality. How differently the precious Bible utterances 
affect us from different lips, even though the speakers are 
equally sincere! The one, believing that time is short 
and precious, and realizing this belief, works with this 
end in view, and no arithmetic can compute the measure 

53 



54 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



of his success; the other may believe the facts, but failing 
to impress himself with the value of flying moments, ut- 
ters his belief in words so tame that they fall powerless 
on his hearers. Should a hand appear writing in living 
characters on the wall of his room, " This day thy soul 
shall be required of thee," would there not be life and 
sound sense — the sense of belief — in his expostulations? 
Would he not forget himself entirely and hasten to the 
rescue of the souls committed to his care — hasten as did 
Lot from the burning cities of the plain? 

I know of a minister, a good one, too, who, after the 
introductory exercises of Wednesday evening prayer 
meetings are over, and his opening remarks have been 
given, seems to have chilled the entire meeting by the 
slow, measured utterances of his thoughts. The ideas are 
right, the language is correct, but there is no life-giving, 
electrical force in them; the meeting has received a check 
that some magnetic soul must hasten to avert, or the pre- 
cious moments will be more than lost. Queen Elizabeth 
realized in her death-agony the value of moments, when 
she exclaimed, " My kingdom for an hour of time!" And 
many another testimony could be added to this. The 
greatest minds, the most shining examples of culture in 
every department, can attribute their success, in great 
part, to a wise disposition of their time. It comes to us 
but once. Morning, noon, and night are the daily re- 
minders of youth, manhood and old age; each in its time, 
and but once for each. Seed-time, summer and harvest, 
and the winter of death. O that we might write on each 
passing moment some glorious record for eternity — to 
shine through the a^es! 



■^"^sr^ 





CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 




V ') COLD and unfriendly 
spirit is manifest in the 
selfishness that often 
prompts the question: 
"Am I my brother's 
keeper?" while the 
warm and generous 
feelings of the great 
heart of Christianity 
breathe forth the gen- 
tle admonitions: "Let 
love be without dis- 
simulation," ''Abhor 
that which is evil, cleave to 
that which is good," "Be 
kindly affectioned one to 
another, with brotherly love," 
even " in honor preferring one 
another." Christian sympathy, so magnanimously exem- 
plified in the acts of the good Samaritan, comes with her 
kind words, her balm of consolation, and wipes the tear 
from the eye of sorrow, binds up the wounds of the suffer- 
ing, administers to the wants of the stranger, and allevi- 
ates the distresses of the neglected poor. 

And who that has been imbued with the Spirit can view 
the scenes of desolation around us without sympathizing 

55 



56 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



with those who are afflicted and distressed; without suffer- 
ing the tear of compassion to fall, and feeling an emotion 
of tenderness and sympathy for those who suffer? 

Well indeed may we entertain and cherish this divine and 
generous principle in our hearts, for she is the loveliest of 
all the beautiful and attractive graces that adorn the chaste 
and virtuous soul, so much so, that when she takes up her 
residence in the human heart, she is as a welcome guest 
from heaven, breathing peace and love into the soul that 
heretofore was a stranger to such-exalted feelings. She 
throws her softest rays over those blissful regions of im- 
mortal delight, without impairing either their beauty or 
their tranquillity; and sheds her sweetest, soothing balm 
upon the inhabitants without destroying either their hap- 
piness or their repose. Her lily is interwoven with the 
roses which form celestial garlands, and her drops of con- 
solation mingle with the tears of exquisite delight which 
glitter in immortal eyes. 

She took up her lasting abode in the bosom of the Son 
of God, and was the constant companion of the Saviour 
amid the trying scenes of that way of tears and blood, 
when, looking upon the city, he exclaimed, "O Jerusa- 
lem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest 
them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, even 'as a hen gathereth 
her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" 

She accompanied him in every step of his journey 
through life, for it is said: "He wept with those that 
wept," and " in all their afflictions he was afflicted," and 
" lo, the angel of his presence saved them." She accom- 
panied him even to the scenes of his crucifixion and his 
death, and at last placed her chaplet of cypress upon his 
conquering brow when he expired on the cross, praying: 
" Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" 

In proportion as we become imitators of the blessed 
Jesus we shall become the companions of Christian sym- 
pathy. She will teach us to bind up the broken-hearted 
and to pour the oil of consolation and the wine of sympa- 
thy into the wounded spirit. O how grand life becomes 
when it imitates the acts and cultivates the virtues of our 
blessed Lord and we in spirit become like him! 



THE GRACE OF IGNORANCE. 




NOWLEDGE is relative. If 
we may be excused the seem- 
ing paradox, it is only the 
wise who know when to be 
ignorant; when to confess 
and recognize their limita- 
tions. There are many things 
in this life, questions relat- 
ing to things material and 
things spiritual, concerning 
which we must be content to 
know nothing. In every di- 
rection around us there is a 
point beyond which human 
wisdom cannot penetrate, depths which it cannot fathom, 
heights to which it cannot ascend. Granting all that 
science can do, impelled by energy, perseverance, and 
enthusiasm, yet this must be acknowledged. All earthly 
wisdom soon finds its Ultima Thule. We are surrounded 
by the Unknowable. 

" We have but faith ; we cannot know, 
For knowledge is of things we see ; 
And yet we trust it comes from Thee 
A beam in darkness : let it grow." 

We have such a range of philosophies and sciences, of 
isms and ologies, so many books and learned men, we ad- 
vance a little way into so many realms of knowledge, 
that we forget how we are playing after all only on the. 
surface of things, only picking up the pebbles on the shore 
of the great ocean of truth. Every grain of sand has prob- 
lems too deep for our understanding; every flower has 
questions to make dumb the lips of sages. The mysteri- 
ous, the wonderful, the eternal, are almost always before 
our eyes, w r hether we lift them to the skies or gaze upon 
the ground. The earth, our beloved terra firma, is full of 

57 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



hidden powers and secret, living impulses of which we can 
know nothing except in the most superficial way, as they 
appear in their final and visible results. Our little enclo- 
sure of moist brown earth, to the eye cold, motionless, 
formless, and unlovely, is in reality the most wondrous of 
laboratories, weaving beneath our feet the curious tapestry 
of vegetable forms, selecting and sending up the juices fit 
to nourish each of the hundred different plants, trees, 
flowers, shrubs, and grasses that flourish on the surface. 
Who can boast of his wisdom, realizing what he treads 
upon and what is going on around him in these summer 
days? 

The man of wise and inquiring mind can only be con- 
tented with himself when he knows when and where to be 
ignorant. The trouble is that men are always trying to 
push their inquiries beyond the fixed and legitimate bounds 
of human knowledge. They are forever sending down 
their plummets to measure that which in the nature of 
things is immeasurable; trying to weigh that which is not 
to be weighed ; to understand that which is not understand- 
able; to see that which is not seeable. It is in this region, 
just beyond the pale of what is real and actual in human 
knowledge, that a number of men who think themselves 
wise are always groping, blind leaders of the blind, full of 
speculations and theories, of high sounding and boastful 
talk that begins with nothing and ends with nothing. In 
this domain lie the questions relating to such unknowable 
things as the origin and development of life, the being, 
the mind, and purposes of God, the exact nature of the 
Trinity, the location and dimensions of the Heavenly, the 
employments of the redeemed, the whole destiny of man, 
the plan of the universe, and a thousand other questions 
akin to these. 

In trying to solve these unsolvable proSlems thousands 
of men have wasted their lives, wrecked their intellects, and 
led astray multitudes of their fellow beings. From this 
region of misty speculations and baseless theories come 
more than half the doubts, the unbeliefs, the dark errors 
and false teachings which vex and distract mankind. From 
thence come the vain philosophies, the oppressive systems, 
the harsh and cruel creeds which have sown the world 
with blood and tears. 



6o 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



With respect to these things let us cultivate the grace 
of ignorance ; let us recognize our boundaries, and be wise 
in those things wherein it is ours to be wise. The field of 
rightful and legitimate knowledge is wide and curious 
enough to employ all our powers. Within the realms open 
to human wisdom and research no Alexander need ever sigh 
for other worlds to conquer. There is, indeed, within 
these realms so much that is worth the knowing, so much 
of beauty and grandeur, so much to fill the mind and en- 
large the soul of man that he who goes beyond to tread the 
impenetrable darkness of unknown and unknowable spaces 
may ascribe it all to his own folly and presumption if he 
come at the last to realize that his life has been a hollow 
mockery, a vanity and vexation of spirit. For all else 
there is the consolation that many things of which it is not 
ours to know now we shall know hereafter. Let us be 
content with what it is possible for us to know under the 
limitations of our earthly existence, and leave the rest for 
that time when we shall see no more "through a glass 
darkly," but with the enlarged and clarified vision of our 
spiritual and immortal being. 





THE 

CHRISTIAN'S 

RACE. 



Christian life is a race, and is expressed in 
the Bible in this very manner. A mighty race- 
course is seen stretching- away from our feet 
upward and onward, and that is the place for 
the Christian, where men strive for mastery, where they 
run for an immortal crown. We must not stop to 
look at transitory things, or the glittering prizes of the 
world, but keep our eyes on the goal lest we should be 
distanced in the race, and another step in before us. We 
must look to the end, the glorious crown, the great author 
and finisher of our faith, and press forward. Mind not 
the things about us, they are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory that- shall be. "Run with patience," and 
so run that ye may obtain. As to the conditions and 
qualities upon which success depends, we can well learn a 
lesson from the old Grecian games. The racers were in 
earnest; we do well to emulate their assiduity, their 
singleness of aim and effort, and the engrossment of every 
power and faculty in one great master passion to win the 
race or die. They had but one idea, and everything else 
was of secondary importance. 

That race in which they were to run before the world 
for a prize was continually in their minds, and it tightened 
their muscles in anticipation. This was the first grand 
condition of their success, as it is of all success; for no 
man ever did anything great with divided energies. We 
are running a mighty race for an immortal crown; if relig- 
ion is worth anything it is worth everything; Shall we not 
therefore emulate the earnestness of those ancient Greeks? 
The Christian must live for one thing, and one thing only ; 
not that he must renounce all the active duties of life, and 
spend all his days in meditation, for that would no more 

61 



62 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



make a strong Christian than the close and stifling air of 
the cave would make a strong athlete. The world is 
necessary to the true development of Christian char- 
acter. There must be storm and wind, cares, trials and 
vexations, and the common business of life in the experi- 
ence of the Christian to make him strong in the race for 
eternal life. Every power must be consecrated to God, 
and every energy concentrated upon his work; then, like 
an arrow from the bow, like the lightning from the sky, 
the Christian will spring forward, determined to conquer or 
die. It is a glorious race to run, and at the goal are the 
shining forms and loving faces of a great cloud of witnesses, 
and Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, waiting 
to bestow upon us the prize of our high calling. 





MARY MAGDALENE'S REWARD. 



that * 
which 



/frARY MAGDALENE was one of 
the Saviour's most devoted 
friends. She had been a deeply 
afflicted woman, possessed of 
seven devils. These the Saviour 
cast out, and ever afterward she 
loved him with a pure and 
ardent affection. She .clung to 
him to the last. We often read 
of her being' with him. As he 
went through every city, preach- 
ing and showing the glad tidings 
of the kingdom, it is recorded 
the twelve were with him, and certain women 
had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities," 
63 




64 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

amongst whom was Mary Magdalene. She seems to have 
gone with him wherever it was proper for her to go Not 
easily could she have torn herself away from him. 

When at length the Saviour was taken and condemned 
and crucified, we find her still clinging to him. Mat- 
thew says: "And many women were there (beholding afar 
off) following him from Galilee, ministering unto him, 
among which was Mary Magdalene." Gladly would she 
have alleviated his sufferings had it been in her power. 
From the cross she followed his lifeless remains to the 
sepulchre. When Joseph had taken the body he wrapped 
it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, 
which he had hewn out in a rock, and he rolled a great 
stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. "And 
there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting 
over against the sepulchre." She was one of the last to 
leave the place where her dear Lord was laid. As the 
shadows of evening gathered around her she reluctantly 
turned away, and " rested according to the commandment. " 

A long Sabbath day was that to her. But at length it 
was past and in the end of the Sabbath , as it began to 
dawn toward the first day of the week, very early, while 
it was yet dark, we find her with the other Mary again at 
the sepulchre. They had brought sweet spices and had 
come that they might anoint the body of their Saviour. 
To her surprise and sorrow she found that it was gone. 
Then she announced the sad intelligence to Peter and John, 
whom she met : " They have taken away my Lord, and I 
know not where they have laid him." These two disci- 
ples, having satisfied themselves of the truth of her asser- 
tion, not knowing what to think or what to do, went away 
again to their own home. " But Mary stood without at 
the sepulchre, weeping: and as she wept she stooped down 
and looked into the sepulchre." Possibly she might yet 
get a glimpse of him. She would at least see the place 
where her dear Lord had lain. As she looks she sees 
" two angels in white, sitting, the one at the head, and the 
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And 
they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou ? She saith 
unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and 
I know not where they have laid him. 

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, 



ill'- 




66 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou ? whom 
seekest thou ? She, supposing him to be the gardener, 
saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me 
where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus 
saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto 
him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master." It was the lofti- 
est moment in all her life, a moment never to be forgotten 
in time or in eternity. She had found her risen Lord. 
She was the first of all the disciples to whom he appeared. 
And thus was she a thousand times rewarded for all her 
love and for all her painstaking in seeking him. And 
great will be her reward in heaven. Among the nearest 
of all to her loved Redeemer will she there stand, and most 
joyfully will she receive the smiles of his approval. 



jm 





WALKING WITH GOD. 



Ah, lovely souls like those we've known, 
Whose lives, one sweet endeavor, 

All crowned with beauty and with bloom, 
The hand of death did sever. 

Their memory, like the new mown hay, 
Will linger round us ever. 




ALKING with God! What a 
strengthening, comforting, beau- 
tiful thought! God by our side, 
helping us, guiding us, leading us 
safely whether the way be smooth 
or rough. We cannot, perhaps, 
be like the mountains, grand, 
stately, magnificent, seen from 
afar and admired by the multi- 
tude, but we can be like the 
grassy dell, beautiful with sun- 
shine and refreshment, fragrant 
with sweet flowers and jubilant 
with the songs of birds. The 
helpfulness in the family circle, if 
given in a gentle, unobtrusive way, is a training which 
rapidly uplifts lives. Those are sweet lives which seek 
to remove obstructing thorns from another's rough path, 
and there is never a thorn removed from the path without 
a rose being scattered on one's own. Mild forbearance in 

67 



68 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



regard to other people's faults is a necessity to every sweet 
life — the suppression of unkind words another necessity. 

The sunshine of such lives brightens darkened homes, 
warms chilled hearts, and illuminates groping souls. It 
even seems to have the power of opening sightless eyes, , 
Indeed, the power of such lives is wonderful. They point 
out the right path to the wayward feet and beckon home- 
ward the lost. They hold cups of water to parched lips, 
and offer the bread of life to human souls. They scatter 
good seed with generous and never-tiring hand. What a 
harvest of golden sheaves will be theirs! 





THE BLESSINGS AND POWER OF 
PRAYER 

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air ; 
His passport at the gate of death, 

He enters Heaven by prayer. 









HU ><sEP' 


n!!$$M$^ 








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IP^j#mUiaiHIa 


^gP^ J>jf4 



GREATEST of God's bless- 
ings and benefits to mankind 
often lose much of their value 
to those on whom they are 
bestowed, from the very 
freedom with which they are 
dispensed. Water, without 
which life could not be sus- 
tained; air, necessary to the 
breath we draw; sunlight and 
rain, without which vegeta- 
tion could not flourish, or our bodies be fed ; these and 
countless other benefits are accepted too often as a matter 

69 



70 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

of course, and in far too many cases without a thought of 
gratitude to the bounteous Giver of each good and perfect 
gift. But greatest of all the privileges with which hu- 
manity has been favored, is the rare one of prayer, with 
its far-reaching influence and almost limitless power. And 
one great comfort, when thinking of prayer, lies in the 
fact that application at the throne of grace can never be 
made at a wrong time. Heaven's doors are never shut; 
the ear of the Almighty is never so filled with other sounds 
as to shut out the cry of ever so feeble a plaint directed 
in faith to his hearing. He that keepeth Israel neither 
slumbers nor sleeps, and the day and night are both alike 
to him. No distance so great but it can be spanned by a 
simple plea poured into the sympathizing ear of the Father 
who waits to be gracious. There is no such detective as 
prayer, for no one can hide away from it. It puts its hands 
on the shoulders of a man ten thousand miles off. It 
alights on a ship in mid-Atlantic. What a suggestion of 
power lies in these truthful words! A wayward son may 
put thousands of mile.s between himself and a loving 
mother, but he cannot get away from her prayers ; they can 
follow him to the ends of the earth, and he cannot hide 
away from them. 

To one who is thus dependent on prayer for strength to 
meet life's varied experiences, a sense of the power is 
sometimes merged as it were with the consciousness of 
comfort that lies in continual petitions. It is such un- 
speakable comfort not only to commend our loved ones 
to a care which is infinite and all-powerful, but there are 
so many personal fears to be quelled, so many desires to 
be presented, so many burdens to be cast upon the Lord. 
And to one accustomed thus to seek protection, and to 
present wants and needs, and to seek sustaining grace, the 
wonder is how any one can live and support the burdens, 
and meet the varied anxieties and troubles of life, without 
something stronger and more reliable than mere human 
aid can supply. 

The habit of prayer commends itself to many persons 
who seldom pray themselves. A thoughtless, frivolous 
woman will almost invariably teach her child a little prayer 
to say at night. There is an unacknowledged and perhaps 
unrecognized consciousness of the power for good which 



TRUE RELIGION NOT DAMAGED. 



71 



lies in that simple prayer from the lips of a helpless child. 
Prayer truly becomes the Christian's "vital breath" and 
"native air;" it supplies courage and fortitude for every 
event and emergency of life, it quiets the fears and calms 
the nerves of the timid, it supplies strength to the weak, 
it makes the dark hours of the night safe with an unseen 
presence strong to protect, and robs the night of its lone- 
liness. It is all-prevailing, all-powerful, robbing death 
of its terrors, and opening wide the gates of heaven to all 
who through its mighty power have learned to know the 
Lord. 




TRUE RELIGION NOT DAMAGED 
BY ADVERSITY. 



llSFORTUNE never harms the 
Christian. If a man has the right 
kind of religion he can go through 
the severest trials and not suffer 
spiritual loss. Grace in the heart 
will not rise and fall with his 
name; faith will not expand and 
collapse with his business. If it 
did, then a fire would burn it out, 
a flood would drown it out, a panic would scare it out. 
Satan thought that Job's religion would go with his for- 
tune. But witness his amazement at his mistake. He 
beholds the patriarch's family buried, his flocks wasted, 
his health gone, his wife scolding, and his life involved 
in direst misery; but his faith is still strong and his 
religion beautiful and magnificent as an immovable palace 
of granite, which the storm cannot shake, though ruins 
are scattered all around. 

The blessings of earth belong to the natural kingdom 
and are subject to the troubles of that kingdom: redeem- 
ing blessings belong to the spiritual kingdom, and are 
not subject to the tossings and turnings of fortune. You 
sit in your homes and laugh at the winds that play with 
the clouds and trees and waves, for they are shut out and 
you are shut in. But your soul sits in the home of grace, 



72 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

looks out upon the terrors of earth, beholds the distresses 
and losses of time, sees the storms that play with wealth 
and fame, and feels serenely safe with God. The tornado 
cannot invade its shelter. The ruins of the grandest estate 
on earth cannot bury the soul that fears the Lord. 

Goodness of heart is not proof against adversity. A 
gracious character is no refuge against earthly harm. The 
church is not an insurance institution against material 
losses. But the gusts that beat upon the outer heritage 
cannot beat upon the inner heritage. The building erected 
out of material gold and silver and precious stones may 
come down with a crash; but the inherent value remains 
to all eternity. The calamities of life cannot overthrow 
it; the river of death cannot overflow it. 

The soul that contains Divine grace is the Lord's con- 
servatory. It is his blooming garden fenced about and 
covered over. The snows of winter may fall; the frosts 
may flake the fields with the white of death; the piercing 
cold may bind creation in its glittering manacles; yet the 
plants put forth their beautiful blossoms in the green- 
house. So with the person that lives in the love of Jesus 
Christ. The surface of the sea may be tossed with billows, 
but the pebbles lie quietly at the bottom; troubles may 
rush over the limitations of the believer, but the pearls 
of true grace are undisturbed in the depths of his nature. 
The eagle can soar above the storm; so can the soul on 
the wings of hope. The whale can descend below the 
angry waves; so can the soul in resignation. The safe 
can preserve its treasures in the fires; so can the soul 
through patience. The oak can gather nourishment from 
the leaves stripped from its boughs by last year's storms; 
so can the soul gather strength from every distress through 
which it passes. The character of the true soul, like that 
of Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, grows strong 
by the very distress and trouble which overcome others. 

Calamities help true religion ; they add to its vigor, send 
its root deeper, make its fibres tougher. They fan its 
coals into flames. Without adversity grace is in danger 
of smothering under its own ashes. The men who have 
lived nearest God are they who have seen the vanities 
of this world through eyes bedewed with tears. Trouble 
has often caused aching- heads to rest on the bosom of 




FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE'S MONUMENT, WESTMINSTER. 



74 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



Jesus for sympathy. Danger has compelled many a hand 
to clasp hold of the Almighty for protection. Destruction 
of property has caused many to search after the true 
riches. The noblest sons and daughters of earth are 
they who have been purified in the furnace heated many 
times. The purest of the wheat, the heaviest and the 
best, is that which is winnowed the most. 

Let us grow more conscious of the soul's independence 
of earthly things. The soul that lives in Christ is not 
dependent on the products of business. The body is 
dependent; the present life is dependent; contingencies 
arise that make daily supplies necessary. But the soul is 
independent. It can live, and grow strong, and sing 
praises, whether its income be twenty thousand a year or 
twenty cents a day. It can find health and joy, whether 
it stay in a palace or in a prison. It lives not by bread 
at all; it lives in the Lord. 

Let us make our earthly losses our spiritual gains. Let 
not the strength be wasted weeping over the ruins. Let 
faith arise as an eagle above the world of desolations. 
From the charred vanities of earth turn the eyes upon the 
glory of the other world. Be not too anxious for an in- 
crease of prosperity. He who owns a thousand acres of 
land here, may not have enough ground to stand on in 
heaven. He who claims a hundred houses in the city may 
not have a cottage in the other world. Be brave in trial, 
and sweetly content, and expect your better things here- 
after. 





GIRDING ON THE ARMOR. 



Satan trembles when he sees 

The weakest saint upon his knees. 




O be a Christian means a great deal more 
than believing in certain doctrines, going 
to church, or even talking about religion. 
It means . living it. It means having 
Christ in^every deed. We cannot leave 
him out of the most trivial thing. It means we 
must show the world that we love the Lord, and 
are serving him. We must show them so plainly 
that there can be no mistake. As you know the 
welt-tried soldier by his tread, his habits, and 
endurance the moment you see him, so the world 
must know you to be a Christian — a real live Christian — 
the moment it comes in contact with you. You must 



76 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

meet with sinners, as well as half-asleep, careless Chris- 
tians, and you must live so that your light shall shine clear 
and above reproach, fearing only, but always, to bring 
shame upon the Master's name. By your example you 
must strengthen the weak, and by your unfaltering step 
and firm hand help the weak-hearted. Let the whole 
world see the quiet, steady light of your devoted life. 
Let the perfume of the " white flower of a blameless life " 
which you wear, scent the air about you till that very per- 
fume will entice those who breathe it to strive likewise 
to wear one. Let there be no vain glory or striving after 
praise for any particular gift; but aspire for no other 
praise (and it is a great one) than that it may be said that 
your silent example has won many a heart to Christ. Let 
an assembly be better for your presence. Where you are 
let it be known it is safe to be. 

Above all let your light shine at home. There are 
many dear ones who would be led astray by the careless 
life of a professed Christian, or be won by your devoted- 
ness. There are no words so eloquent as a well-lived 
life — a blameless one. Pray that it may be yours. Let 
your presence be a signal of peace, your very step music 
to the tired and discouraged. 

It maybe your sad lot to live with some one who is not 
at all agreeable; that is, with one so captious that you 
cannot pass the day without a jar. Try your best, 
you say, there is trouble; even your kind acts are mis- 
construed and resented. There are some people with 
whom it is very difficult to live. You wish your lot had 
been cast elsewhere, while it may be that your lot was cast 
just there and nowhere else, because the Lord wants your 
example and nothing else to bring that wanderer to the 
Lord. This example may be the particular work sent 
you. It is hard work indeed, and one the world will 
never know anything about ; but the Master, who knows 
just how hard the work was, and how patiently and 
bravely you performed it, will reward you. Trust the 
Lord. His help is ever present. Be strong and of good 
courage. Never forget that the responsibility of being a 
Christian is a very great one; for you not only ruin your 
own soul if you sin, but you may ruin the souls of those 
who watch and copy your example. 




DON'T BE TOO BUSY 




^N this busy age, when the bound- 
aries of life are so enlarged by 
rapid communications, and action 
is the rule of the hour, the duty 
of meditation is often overlooked. 
People are too busy for medita- 
tion, or dreaming, as they call it; 
they banish meditation entirely 
from practical life and divorce 
religion from business. On the 
contrary, religious life and feel- 
ings must go hand in hand with every-day life. Religion 
is not a creature of the cloister; it is not locked up in the 
church on Sunday night. We come to church on Sunday 
to learn religion, to feel its motives, and to deepen all 
good impressions as well as to gain them. When this is 
over we have not done with religion for the week; we 
have been learners, and now we are to go home and prac- 
tise what we have learned; but this we cannot do if we 
never think again of the holy lessons of the Sabbath. 

77 



78 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Meditation, strictly speaking, is a serious, devout con- 
templation of divine things. It presupposes quiet and 
solitude, and such meditation is at once a means of grace 
and a Christian duty. It is something that no one can 
get along as well without as with. Dr. Bonar says, " In 
order to grow much in grace we must be much alone. It 
is not in society, not even in Christian society, that the 
soul grows most vigorously." In one single quiet hour it 
will make more progress than in days in company with 
others. There is always danger of losing all sense of the 
value of familiar things by neglecting to consider their 
merits and their importance to ourselves. Many wonder 
why the Bible seems so uninteresting to them, and why 
they cannot throw themselves into it as they can into 
other books. It would be more wonderful if they could 
get interested in it, reading it as they do, or taking it 
up at long intervals. If you treat any other book in 
that way it will seem uninteresting and dry. Perhaps 
you read it by chapters with no sense of its connection, or, 
perhaps you read a few verses in a cursory way. All 
readers of the Bible should take the advice that Abbe 
Wenkelman gave to a young sculptor when he sent him to 
the Apollo Belvidere as the most perfect specimen of art. 
"Go and study it, and if you see no great beauty in it to 
captivate you, study it again. If you still discover none, 
study it more; go again and again; go until you feel its 
beauty, for be assured it is there." So, readers of the 
Bible, you should study it well, and if you do not at once 
realize its beauty you should go again and again, pray 
over it, study it, meditate upon it, until you feel it, and 
then it will impress its lineaments upon your soul and 
become the model of your daily walk and conversation. 




MBCfl.v' 



LITTLE THINGS. 




ITTLE notes make 
the sweetest of music, 
and the grandest of 
harmonies, as well as 
the greatest of results 
in the material world, 
is brought about by 
the smallest of 
causes. Human na- 
ture is very much the 
same in all ages, and 
although customs and 
manners have altered 
in innumerable ways 
since the Bible was 
written, we find many 
mutual sympathy which 
men of old times. We read 
miserable leper who was 
actually going to continue to be a 
leper rather than do a small and sim- 
ple act to free himself from his lep- 
rosy, and that, too, when no doubt 
he would have done some great thing 
gladly. It would have seemed to 
him in perfect keeping with the 
eternal fitness of things if the prophet 
had come out in flowing robes, and 
stretching forth his hand majestically, had called solemnly 
upon the name of the Lord. He would have liked the cure to 
be performed with a pomp and majesty in accord wiiu 
his own fancied greatness and the greatness of the God 
in whose name it was wrought. But to be told to wash, 
and be cleansed thereby, was too simple a thing to be 
thought of. How much of human nature is manifested 
in that! Men are apt to connect great results with im- 
posing deeds only, while little acts seem too insignificant 
to effect any worthy results. 

79 



80 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

We have only to think for an instant to see the fallacy of 
this, and to find a host of illustrations that prove the value 
of little things, especially to show that momentous results 
are often caused by the smallest and most insignificant acts. 
The simple pressure of a child's finger upon a button 
caused the explosion at " Hell Gate " that caused thou- 
sands of tons of solid rock to burst asunder and fly in every 
direction. The same force that draws a pin to the floor 
holds mighty worlds in their places. So simple is it in- 
deed that till a few years ago no one thought to connect 
it with such vast results. 

Strange to say, upon no subject are men so unwilling to 
trust to the efficacy of simple acts as they are in the mat- 
ter of the soul's salvation. Men are always willing to do 
some great thing to be saved. Ever since the fall the 
despair and dreariness of souls estranged from God, the 
remorse, perplexity, and fear, have all combined to nerve 
men to the utmost exertions. They have groped about in 
the darkness, if, perchance, they might find God. They 
have touched the door of Eden, and tried its bolts and 
shaken its fastenings in the effort to return to primitive 
innocence. They have torn themselves with briers, and 
cut themselves with stones in their desire to find the 
narrow way of life. They have slain whole hecatombs of 
animals, and 'waded through seas of sacrificial blood for 
their souls' salvation. This way and that they have 
groped for every way but the right way, and all in vain. 
Eden's doors are fast closed, and the lofty peak of sin- 
lessness is inaccessible. When all is done man is no 
nearer God than he was at first. What is the trouble ? 
Simply that we are not bidden to do any great thing; 
God never laid down such a command. So men have 
made a mistake, and failed to find the'way of life because 
it is so simple. They have tried to do some great thing, 
when all that God wanted was a childlike faith in Jesus 
Christ. Until men have learned this lesson, and have 
utterly abandoned all hope of saving themselves, they are 
far from salvation. I believe there are but few people in 
this world who do not appreciate the blessing of salvation, 
even though they may not have availed themselves of it, 
and who do not mean to be Christians some day and go to 
heaven ; and yet because coming to Christ is such a simple 




CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 



81 



82 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

thing that the youngest child can do it, they hold back 
and search rather for some great thing. 

And how often do those who are professing Christians 
leave neglected the small, homely duties which should 
make up their life while they search for some great deed 
that will better show their love to the Saviour. The little 
things seem so trivial that they are hardly worth doing, 
and they do not call for the energy and sacrifice that 
greater deeds do. And yet it is just these little things, 
done faithfully as unto the Lord, that make up a life of 
consecration and devotion to the Master. If love inspires 
us to our work, the simplest act, the most trivial duty be- 
comes a part of our worship. 

" That the full glory may abound, increase, 
Until Thy likeness shall be formed in me 
I pray. The answer is not rest or peace, 
But charges, duties, wants, anxieties, 
Till there seems room for everything but Thee, 
And never time for anything but these. 

The busy fingers fly, the eyes may see 
Only the glancing needle that they hold, 
But all my life is blossoming inwardly, 
And every breath is like a litany, 
While through each labor like a thread of gold 
Is woven the sweet consciousness of Thee." 

Our God is too great to need great deeds. If we do 
our duty just where he has placed us to work for him, it 
will make no difference whether we labor in an obscure 
corner of the vineyard where no great harvest will repay 
our labor, or whether our works are seen and known of all 
men. The little things " that most leave undone or de- 
spised" are great enough to glorify God if we do them for 
him. 





THE LOVE OE GOD. 



UR ideas of religion and of God have 

changed somewhat since the days 

""*•, when our grandmothers handed 

down through the lips of our 

mothers the idea of what religion 

is, and ought to be, and of what 

the dear Lord, who loved us so 

much that he sent his only and 

well-beloved Son to die for us, for 

you and me, is to us. Then he was 

a king whose subjects might not 

even touch the lowest stone at his 

feet, a judge who sat upon the 

judgment seat to condenm the sinner rather than to take 

him in loving arms and say to him, " Go thy way, sin no 

more." 

Now that we have learned to read the precious words of 
the Bible more from the standpoint of God's love, with a 
light from heaven's own blessedness shining into and 
through our eyes, our God has revealed himself as a Father 
who pitieth his children, who reasons with them, who 
says, "Son, daughter, give me thy heart." And when we 
cry out in the discouragement of our hearts, that the de- 
light of our heart is ceased, our joy turned into mourning, 
we hear a gentle voice whispering in our ears, " I am 
God, even thy God — in the day that thou callest upon me 
I will answer. All that the Father giveth me shall come 
to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast 
out." And the voice of love calls: "Art thou weary, 
heavy laden, come to me and find rest." 

With eyes full of tears we look around and see nothing, 
it may be, but a stormy sea, a dark and starless night; 
our bark is drifting helplessly, we are discouraged because 
of the gloom; but in the sweetest, calmest tones, Jesus, 
our Saviour, says to us, "Why are you fearful! it is I, be 
not afraid." 

83 



84 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



A Christian who really loves God should never doubt 
the love that our Father gives us. We are helped through 
nine troubles, and when the tenth comes our faith fails 
and we are sure that there will be no further assistance 
for us, and that being left alone we must perish. Jesus 
may be asleep in the vessel, or you may think so, but it 
is only that he is feigning unconsciousness to see if your 
faith will take you to him for help. 

Our Father loves us, is patient with us, is anxious to 
help us, and is even more ready to give than we are to ask. 

" A Father's hand we felt, 

A Father's heart we knew , 
With tears of penitence we knelt 
And found his word was true. 

" We told him all our grief, 

We thought of Jesus' love ; 
A sense of pardon brought relief, 
And bade our pains remove." 

When he really becomes in very truth our Father, the 
world, its pleasures, trials, and troubles become so very 
different. What was hard to bear becomes easy, because 
we know the Father's hand never causes his child one 
needless tear. .When the dear Saviour's hand takes the 
weight of our burden from us, and we find ourselves at 
last among the chorus of the redeemed in heaven, our glad 
voices will have no minor notes to jar the melody, as we 
at last, "safe at home," sing the praises of our Saviour's 
love. 



NOT INCOMPLETE. 




ANY good people, 
even the best of 
Christians, mis- 
interpret God's 
acts of kindness 
to us in calling 
us home. Almost 
invariably it 
happens that we 
mourn the death 
of a good man, 
who is often 
taken out of the 
world just when 
his life is in 
full blossom of 
beauty; and we 
are liable to sigh 
and groan over what at first thought appears to be a prema- 
ture removal. " But there are no premature removals, no 
incomplete lives." The death of Henry Ward Beecher 
perhaps called out more response from the press, and from 
Christians generally, than that of any other man during 
the last century. Some mourned that he could not have 
been spared to complete his Life of Christ, which was left 
in an unfinished state. But God, who knoweth all things, 
and ordereth all things, knows best at what time to call 
his own. Mr. Beecher's life work, although ended in one 
sense with his death, still was far from complete as to its 
results here. 

No good man's life is incomplete, because stilled on its 
earthly side. There is a heavenly side, and it still grows 
on in beauty and symmetry. 

To the eye of faith the broken column in our cemeteries 
is a sentimental falsehood. No Christian life is broken 

85 



86 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



short off so, but rises in a symmetrical shaft, and its 
capital is garlanded with amaranthine flowers in heaven. 
Apelles, the Grecian painter, when asked why he touched 
and retouched his pictures with so much care, answered: 
"Because I paint for eternity." A real, living Christian 
works for eternity, and if it is God's will that he should 
go higher, even while in the midst of a noble work here, 
his life still goes on. No matter how many broken shafts 
are reared above his coffin lid, he would say if he could 
speak " Thy will be done." He would echo Dr. Preston's 
dying words: " Blessed be God, though I change my place 
I shall not change my company; for I have walked with 
God while living, and now I go to rest with God." 




"FIRST PURE." 

" The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle 
and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits."— J as. Hi. 17. 




IRST PURE ". The Bible is 
a book which has very little 
to say about appearances. 
Its subjects are far too real 
and imperative for that. Com- 
ing as a message of life and 
death it has time to deal only 
with essentials; its author, the 
all-seeing God, looks into the 
heart, and with the inner char- 
acter right in his sight, all is 
right. Surely there cannot be 
found any reason in the rela- 
tions between God and man 
for the command to avoid the 
appearance of evil, for nothing as 
superficial as looks can have any 
weight with the great Searcher of 
hearts; his eye probes the innermost 
depths of character, and finds there 
all the material for judgment, either 
acquittal or condemnation. Man, 
however, cannot do that; all he sees 
is the surface, the appearance, and 
his judgment must be formed from 
them. 

As Christianity, then, is a system 

placed in the world to commend 

*■ itself to mankind and be received by 

them, and as the Christian is a man 

among men, seen, known and judged by them, in these 

facts lies the reason for this exhortation. The inner 

87 



88 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

character is everything in the sight of God, but that is 
not all. We are not alone in the world, so for the sake 
of humanity and those around us, we are to abstain from 
the appearance of evil. 

It will make no difference in our standing in the sight 
of God if any one thinks us dishonest or untruthful, but 
for the sake of example, of morality, of religion, we 
ought, if possible, always so to act that others cannot 
think ill of us. As far then as our relations to God go, 
the command is, "Abstain from all evil," but so far as 
we stand related to our fellow-men, the command is, 
"Abstain from all appearance of evil." 

We may be in God's eyes pure in heart, but it is also 
desirable that we should be pure in outward appearance. 
We may be, in God's sight, sincere, but it is desirable 
that we should appear to men to be so. We should not 
think this command unworthy of divine inspiration, for 
it rests in the deepest logic. Appearance is one thing, 
reality another, but the appearance of evil will go far 
toward familiarizing one with the reality. 

So much for our own sake, and in regard to others 
there is the example. Whether it be right or wrong to 
do so, the world does, and is going to, judge of religion 
by Christians. The appearance is what they see, for they 
cannot look deeper, so it will be little advantage to the 
cause of Christ, no matter how consistent we may really 
be, if we do not seem to the world to be so. The Chris- 
tian's mission as a light in the world depends largely on 
his care in avoiding what looks wrong. This is not 
hypocrisy. The Christian must walk on a higher level, 
and live in a purer light than others; w T hile thinking 
most of the heart, he must not be indifferent to the expo- 
nents of the heart's life and purposes and aims. Without 
making the outer life the main thing, we must yet try to 
keep that outer life blameless and without reproach. 
There is no grander, nobler spirit for any one to regulate 
his conduct by than that of Paul in his resolve, " If meat 
make my brother to offend, I will eat no meat while the 
world standeth." 

We should not be discouraged if we find that we are 
not always successful in our efforts to abstain from the 
appearance of evil, for it cannot be denied that this is 



89 




THE WILD PALM. 



9° THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

an uncharitable, censorious world in which we live, with 
a strong sympathy with what is evil, and a desire that 
everybody above its level should be brought as low as 
itself. There are persons who, like the tarantula, suck 
poison from the sweetest flowers; there are malevolent 
spirits among men who do not care for the good and 
noble, but, like wasps which fly at the incipient decay of 
the ripest fruits, seize on the least appearance of imper- 
fection. There are many who study human nature as old 
Zoilus searched the poems of Homer, simply to find out 
the defects and errors. 

It is far nobler and better, with magnanimous gener- 
osity, never to form a bad opinion of an action if it is 
possible to construe it as good; unfortunately those who 
are able to do this are the exception and not the rule. 
The vast majority are too much like the restless sea, 
liable to be ruffled by every gust of passion, open to all 
impulses; and many are prone to take even the good and 
speak evil of it. 

What then is our line of duty? It will not do any 
good to denounce these uncharitable judgments as wrong, 
unjust, and unworthy of notice. We all know that they 
are wrong, but that does not prevent them, so we must 
take things as we find them, and with an eye to God's 
glory adapt ourselves to them. We ought to care in some 
measure what the world says, and if the cause of the 
adverse judgments be something indiscreet in our con- 
duct, something in appearances that is against us, then 
though all may be right within, we ought to abandon our 
evil appearances. Whether we realize it or not, the cause 
of Christ is bound up in us, and when we suffer from dis- 
regard of appearances, the Church of Christ suffers too. 

We err when we speak indiscreetly, or act imprudently, 
or allow appearances which are liable to misconstruction, 
for by all these things we may injure the cause we love. 
There is great need of humble, prayerful, earnest effort, 
not only to be right, to be holy, to be beautiful within, 
but to let that inner light shine so brightly upon the outer 
world that there shall be no occasion to suspect evil, 
because there shall be no appearance of it. 



THEN PEACEABLE." 




T was said in our hearing 
not long ago, of an ex- 
cellent and useful Chris- 
tian woman who had just 
passed away, that " she 
lived such a quiet life — 
she did so much good in 
a quiet way." She was, 
indeed, one of those 
gentle, patient, earnest 
workers who come and 
go in their appointed 
ways like those beings of 
light who wait upon 
God's children, but of 
whom we cannot even 
hear the rustle of a wing. 
They speak to our hearts, 
yet not in words; they 
touch our lives and guide 
us by the hand, and yet 
we hear, we see them not. 
Yet God knows all the 
quiet lives that are lived for him. He marks them with 
his eye as he marks the sparrow's fall. No kindly deed, 
nor act of love and charity, is unnoticed by him who 
seeth all things, " even the secret and hidden things 
among the children of men." 

For the highest example of gentleness we have only to 
look to him who went up and down among the hills and 
plains of Judea eighteen centuries ago healing the throng- 
ing multitudes, and blessing even those who touched but 
the hem of his garment. From the manger at Bethlehem 

91 



92 THE CHRISTIAN LITE. 

to the cross on Calvary, it is all the record of a meek and 
quiet life. We can never think of our Saviour in any 
other way than as one whose every word and deed was 
gentleness itself. We cannot but think of him, some- 
times, as moving in and out and among the multitudes, 
and up and down the streets and by-ways of the land, 
so gently and noiselessly that the sound of his foot- 
steps was scarcely heard upon the ground. We know 
that on more than one occasion he passed out of the 
midst of a multitude when they knew it not. We know 
that he walked upon the waves of Galilee, while rash and 
faithless Peter sank beneath. We know also that when 
the Scribes and Pharisees tried to draw him into a noisy 
disputation a few quiet words from him put their sophis- 
try to flight; and when he was reviled, he reviled not 
again. And in all his wonderful works Christ never 
sought publicity. Again and again he charged his dis- 
ciples and those whom he had healed that they " should 
tell no man." He taught both by precept and example 
that " when thou doest alms let not thy right hand know 
what thy left hand doeth." Jesus was indeed a King, 
but no heralds went before him to trumpet his appear- 
ance; he was a Conqueror, but no triumphal arches were 
erected in his honor: he was "very God," but he never 
spoke in Sinai thunders, nor transfixed the hearts of men 
with the bolts of wrath. 

The greatest forces in nature are the quiet ones. That 
mysterious power called gravitation, which links the uni- 
verse together as with a mighty chain, acts as noiselessly 
as thought itself. The sunlight falls upon the earth as 
softly as a dream, and yet it draws the sea into its 
embrace, and makes the earth throb with life. The 
atmosphere silently eats its way into the hearts of rocks, 
and crumbles down temples and pyramids. The most 
stupendous works of the Almighty swing in their orbits 
without a jar or tremor. And so with the most wonderful 
works of human hands. The mighty Corliss engine 
moves with more apparent ease than the noisy little clock 
upon the mantel. It is everywhere the quiet things that 
serve the highest purposes. 

We should not, then, complain because our lives must 
needs move in quiet channels. It is not the roaring, 



THEN PEACEABLEr 



93 



dashing, impetuous streams, but the deep and silent rivers 
that bear the ships to the sea. It has been said that the 
quiet power of a serene and holy life is the greatest 
power in the world, next to the might of God. Who has 
not known, and been blessed by knowing, some of those 
gentle souls whose very presence seems a balm to 
wounded hearts, whose voices fall upon the ear like a 
benediction from heaven, and whose hands, laid upon an 
aching brow, seem to woo to themselves the pain. It was 
of one of these gentle, loving natures that Whittier thus 
writes : 

" The blessing of her quiet life 
Fell on us like the dew : 
And good thoughts, where her footsteps passed, 
Like fairy blossoms grew. 

Sweet promptings unto kindly deeds 

Were in her very look ; 
We read her face as one who reads 

A true and holy book. 

And half we deemed she needed not 

The changing of her sphere ; 
To go to heaven, a shining one, 

Who walked an angel here." 




"GENTLE AND EASY TO BE 
ENTREATED." 



ITY is one of the strongest 
elements of Christ's char- 
acter—compassion for the 
wants and sorrows of 
others. It is said that the 
artists who have repre- 
sented the Saviour's face 
have given us the picture 
of a man burdened with 
his own sorrows. That is 
just where all such repre- 
sentations fail, and must 
fail. If it were possible 
to put on the canvas a true 
Christ, it would be pre- 
eminently a gentle, sym- 
pathizing Christ, divinity 
trembling through lines of 
finest sensibility, with a 
mouth shaped by words 
of compassion, and eyes fathomless with unutterable pity. 
Until such things are possible to the brush, all pictures 
must be failures, and we must draw our devotion from 
the w6rd pictures of inspiration. The Saviour was al- 
ways specially responsive to the sufferings of mankind; 
perhaps it was on the principle that those who are whole 
need no physician, that the most touching and the truest 
of the revelations speak of his pity. We know that he 
was far from irresponsive to human joy, and the occasion 
of his first miracle was one of happiness — a wedding feast 
in Cana of Galilee — and the miracle itself was one tend- 
ing to promote the enjoyment of the feast. We may be 
sure that he always rejoiced with those that rejoiced 
as well as wept with those that wept; and we can imag- 
ine that his presence on a festive occasion gave a better 

Q4 




"GENTLE AND EASY TO BE ENTREATED '." 95 

and holier zest to enjoyment. Nevertheless his mission 
as the Saviour of the world seemed to place him natu- 
rally among the burdened and distressed, for he no doubt 
saw, as no man could see, that there was some lack in 
every pleasure, that laughter is not always the echo of 
happiness. 

Suffering appeals more powerfully to all sympathies 
than joy, and if we feel suffering to be the strongest of 
the world's appeals, how much more would Christ? 
Would he be indeed the Christ, the Saviour, if the cry 
of distress had not reached his ears more quickly than the 
laughter of the gay? We expect to find him just where 
the evangelists place him most often, bending over the 
sufferings of mankind. Sometimes in the house of joy, 
when there was a holy purpose to be served by his pres- 
ence there, sometimes in the retirement of the mountain 
top when the weariness of the flesh demanded solitary 
communion with his Father, but for the most part with 
his eyes fixed steadily on the suffering before him. 

A thousand years had passed since David sang the 
beautiful shepherd's Psalm, when another was born in 
the same town of Bethlehem who was like David, his 
type, the good shepherd, but his sheep were men. His 
heart was full of the true shepherd pity, when he looked 
on the multitudes, infinitely better than sheep, which con- 
gregated in the cities and villages, worse off, perhaps, 
in some respects than the flocks which were pastured 
around Bethlehem, beneath the shepherd's watchful eye. 
All who had come before him were false leaders who 
gained admittance to the fold that they might kill and 
destroy, and great had been their execution. The true 
Shepherd had compassion on the multitude; he showed it 
as he went through the villages, telling the good news of 
the kingdom of God, healing all sickness and disease 
among the people. They were a woefully neglected flock 
upon which his eye fell as he went to and fro. He saw 
their suffering everywhere, on the couches of the sick, 
the beds of the diseased. They lined the streets where 
he passed, and were let down from the roofs where he was, 
and they were spread upon the seashore where he taught. 
Physical ailment, bodily infirmity, it was that ailed; but 
none the less did it touch his pity, for this compassion- 



96 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

ating Shepherd took in the whole range of suffering, the 
distressed body, aching brow, and weary limbs. 

Besides their bodily distress, he saw their soul trouble; 
they were as sheep having no shepherd; under that he 
saw the great spiritual meaning. Why did they wander 
to and fro along hard and thorny roads, up rugged moun- 
tains and down into dark valleys? It was the unrest 
within them, the longing of sheep for a shepherd, the 
inevitable longing of the homeless for a shelter, the rest- 
lessness of a soul seeking its God. Multitudes were scat- 
tered abroad in the weary search for rest and peace, 
without a shepherd's guidance. 

He is moved with infinite compassion as his thoughts 
go out to a wide world, composed of such as these, and 
because he pitied, he delivered. And not only those who 
suffered outwardly did he pity, for oft-times the heaviest 
sorrow is borne in silence, and hidden within the bosom, 
and no sound betrays the secret grief. Others, too, were 
claimants on his pity who did not know their own need of 
compassion, who were content with their barren lives, and 
heeded not' the call of the shepherd. The all-searching 
eye of the Saviour penetrated this abject contentedness, 
and then his pity was most profound, since they realized 
not their own need and would take no steps to fill their 
empty hands. Sometimes it is not the greatest but the 
least sufferers who are the most to be pitied; the dis- 
tressed and starving may have currents of spiritual life 
flowing through them, but there is a poverty of heart and 
soul infinitely more pitiable. 

Over all these forms of suffering and want the Saviour's 
pity brooded tenderly, even as it does to-day over his fold, 
and we need never fear that we are in any distress too 
deep for his loving pity to succor and rescue us. 





"FULL OF MERCY."— FORGIVENESS. 



Let bygones be bygones ; 

Your heart will be lighter 
When kindness of yours with reception has met 
The flame of, your love 

Will be purer and brighter, 
If, God-like, you strive to forgive and forget." 




OVE and forgive even your enemies. " I can 
never forgive him," is a remark we so fre- 
quently hear that we often do not realize its 
awful significance. Some one beautifully 
and truthfully remarks: "He that cannot 
forgive others breaks down the bridge which 
he must pass himself; for every one has need 
to be forgiven." Thomas Adams says: " The 
angry man is like a ship sent into the sea, which hath 
the devil for its pilot." How easily forgiveness could be 
granted if anger were not allowed to burn too deeply in the 
soul. It is an easy matter to stop the fire that is kindled 
only in a little chaff; but if it once have taken hold of 
matter that hath solidity or thickness it soon inflames and 
consumes the entire building. 

One might naturally suppose that the anger of mortal 
7 97 



98 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

man should be mortal like himself. But with many, it is 
a question whether they or their anger die first, or whether 
death takes away both together. Our Saviour taught the 
doctrine of forgiveness of enemies. So contrary is this 
spirit to the natural inclinations of the unregenerate heart, 
that when one of our venerable missionaries read to a 
number of Hindu youths from the Sermon on the Mount 
the passage, " I say unto you, love your enemies, bless 
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, 
and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute 
you," so deep and intense was the impression produced on 
them, that one exclaimed in ecstasy : "Oh! how beautiful, 
how divine! This is the truth!" And for days and weeks 
he could not help repeating: "Love your enemies, bless 
them that curse you," etc. ; constantly exclaiming: " How 
beautiful! surely this is the truth!" Nor could he rest 
until he had renounced his false gods and their senseless 
worship and accepted the truth as it is in Jesus. 

Another example illustrating the same truth is found in 
an incident which occurred in the seventeenth century. 
A Turkish grandee in Hungary made a Christian nobleman 
his prisoner and treated him with the utmost barbarity. 
The slave, for such he was, was yoked with an ox and 
compelled to drag the plow. But the fortune of war is 
changeful; and the Turk fell into the hands of the Hun- 
garians, who said to their enslaved fellow countryman: 
" Now take your revenge upon your enemy. " This was in 
accordance with the custom of the age, and the Turk, 
supposing as a matter of course that he would be tortured 
to death,. had already swallowed poison, when a messenger 
came from his Christian slave, telling him to go in peace, 
he had nothing to fear. The Moslem was so impressed 
with this heavenly spirit, that he proclaimed with his 
dying breath, "I will not die a Moslem, but I die a 
Christian; for there is no religion but that of Christ 
which teaches forgiveness of injuries." A forgiving na- 
ture is the direct result of the teachings of Christianity. 

"What can Jesus Christ do for you now?" said an in- 
human slave-master when in the act of applying the lacer- 
ating whip to an already half-murdered slave, "Him teach 
me to forgive you, massa, " was the beautiful reply learned 
at the feet of the blessed Master. 



'FULL OF MERCYS— FORGIVENESS. 



99 



We should forgive our enemies even as Christ forgives 
us, quickly, freely, fully. " As we forgive others their 
trespasses" so shall we be forgiven. Forgiveness is the 
characteristic symbol by which the true Christian is 
known. Every sincere follower of the Master will feel at 
all times a readiness to forgive others: and by this the 



Christian may know that God hath 
of his sins upon his own heart. 



sealed the forgiveness 




Ltfi 



AND GOOD FRUITS." 



may be exceeding punctili- 
ous in all the outward forms 
and ceremonies of a Chris- 
tian life. We may attend 
church regularly, and even 
pray morning and evening 
during the week — the Phar- 
isees did as much. If it is 
form, and form alone, if 
there is not in us a living 
Christianity; if the fruits 
of our profession cannot be 
found in our daily lives — 
take care, Christian! God 
judges by the fruits. Pro- 
fessing to serve him here 
on earth will not avail you 
at the bar of God. There 
will be many at the last day 
who will cry, " Have we not 
prophesied in thy name, 
cast out devils and done 
many wonderful works?" 
Then shall he say unto 
them, " I never knew you. 
Depart from me, ye that 
work iniquity." 

It thus behooves us as 
true followers of Christ to look well to our daily life, for 
there we shall find the evidence of our hope. If we are 
truly Christians, trusting in Christ alone, and striving to 
do his will, we cannot hide our Christian profession. 
" No man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel." 
If our hearts are enlightened from on high, the flame will 

IOI 




io2 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



burn brighter and brighter, continually shedding light 
upon our pathway; and our companions and those round 
us will take knowledge that we have chosen the good part 
that cannot be taken away from us. 

With every such man, it matters not where he may be 
placed, or what may be the environments of his daily life. 
He may be rich, or he may be poor; he may be well, or 
languishing on a bed of sickness; he may have one talent 
or ten — it matters not; nay, he may even now be bowed 
down with the infirmities of old age, and already begin- 
ning to cross the river; still he will be sustained by a 
firm and sure hope, and be enabled to look up with con- 
fidence and cry: "Though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with 
me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." 

Happy for us, if we can thus look back upon our lives, 
feeling in our inmost souls that our purposes and desires 
have been right before God; that we have striven to do 
our whole duty, and preserve a conscience void of offence. 
Then are we ready and waiting for the coming of the 
Master, and can feel the blessed assurance that " We have 
fought a good fight; we have kept the faith; and that 
henceforth there is laid up for us a crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give." 




BREAD UPON THE WATERS. 




TRAVELLER going to China at the 
right season of the year would doubt- 
less be interested in their method of 
planting rice in that country. They sow 
it in the mud, and then immediately turn 
on a flood of water, so that the whole field 
becomes a shallow pond. One might think 
that the seed was drowned. But let him 
wait a few weeks and then go and view one 
of these artificial lakes, and from all its 
surface he will see the green shoots sprout- 
ing, and day by day growing taller, till at 
last the water is no more seen, and the shallow pool has 
been transformed into a field of rich, waving grain. 
Casting bread upon the waters expresses this Oriental 
method of planting, and sometimes it is actually their 
bread they sow, for even when the spring comes on and 
finds their supply scanty, instead of eating it all they will 
rather cast it upon the lake. They may go hungry for 
weeks and live on a pittance, for the bread which they 
cast into the water in the spring causes the crop on which 
they are to live next autumn and winter, and they are 
content to cast it into the water now, being sure to find 
it after many days. In Egypt they have a river which 
by its spontaneous overflow saves men all the trouble of 
irrigation. There the Nile has from time immemorial 

103 



104 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

been rolling down its rich deposits of earth, making the 
land fertile enough to fill the granaries of the East. 
There they scatter their seed upon the still submerged 
fields, leaving to nature the harvest. It is a precious 
deposit that they cast upon the waters, not seed merely, 
but bread. A portion of every harvest must go back to 
the soil, if there are to be any harvests in the future. It 
is so much abstracted from that which would be made 
into daily bread, and it is therefore equally precious. 
There is always a risk involved in returning it to the 
vicissitudes of the season, and the uncertainties of the 
soil. We do not know surely whether it will prosper; 
nevertheless, to keep it is to waste it. "If the husbandman 
would have increase, he must sow his seed with faith in 
an ever-watchful Providence. The law of the harvest is 
so well understood that no one ever grudges the seed, 
precious though it may be. 

It is strange that we cannot reason thus with regard to 
spiritual sowing and reaping. How hard it is for many 
to cast their precious bread upon the waters! If it were 
only seed, something that could not be used except for 
sowing, it would be far easier, but bread has its distinct 
value, it stands for that which is useful to one's self. 
This point marks the limit of too many people's benefi- 
cence and charity. They give to the point where they 
begin to feel it, and then straightway stop. Can that be 
called generosity, in any true sense? In the way of con- 
tributions to the Lord's cause, to the various departments 
of Christian work at home and abroad, what real sacri- 
fices do we make, what luxuries do we deny ourselves that 
we may offer something to the Lord ? 

In the far west and in foreign climes are men who have 
given up all the comforts of life in the midst of civiliza- 
tion, and all the pleasures of Christian society that they 
might preach Christ to the ignorant and degraded. Have 
we ever cast a single precious thing, something that 
required self-denial, upon the waters of home and foreign 
missions? Where is the bread that we ought to cast upon 
the waters? Have we been casting only crusts and 
crumbs upon the stream, have we been offering to the 
Lord that which cost us nothing, only what we did not 
need ourselves? Then we have determined our own har- 



io6 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

vest. The waters will subside some day, and when we 
look for abundant increase we shall find only a harvest of 
crusts and crumbs for ourselves. 

True, the water seems an uncertain receptacle of our 
bounty, but nevertheless we are commanded to sow. A 
common plea for neglect is this uncertainty. The 
expression has been converted into a proverb for uncer- 
tainty, and an excuse behind which many take refuge. 
" Like sowing upon the waters " has come to mean fruit- 
less efforts. Men say we can't see the result of our 
efforts, we can't see where our beneficence goes, therefore 
we will do and give nothing. But God's command is to 
do and give if it is uncertain. Cast thy bread upon the 
waters, never mind seeing where it goes, leave that to 
God. All sowing is to a certain extent committing 
ourselves to uncertainty, but in sowing upon the waters 
the uncertainty is indefinitely increased. The soil is hid- 
den, and we cannot tell where the waif of the waters will 
settle. 

No doubt we like to see and select the place where our 
seed is to grow, but if the Egyptians insisted upon that 
they would starve to death. Moreover the prudence of 
the agriculturist may be praiseworthy, while the same 
thing in a spiritual worker may be blameworthy. It is 
a lamentable want of trust in God to do nothing but that 
of which we can see the good. In whose hand is the 
bread cast upon the waters, in whose hand but His who 
holdeth the waters in his palm? He who guides each 
grain sown over the fields to its prepared place under the 
water, and cares for and cherishes it till it grows, can he 
not guide and direct each Christian effort to a noble 
determination? 

It is often the duty of the Christian to give, even when 
he cannot be certain of results. Loyalty to God and faith 
in God's providence makes this a duty. In the Master's 
field the soil is often hidden, and always has been to a 
greater or less extent; the Christian therefore has no right 
to confine his efforts to what he considers hopeful cases. 
Whatever the work of love, it is sure of its reward, and 
if at any time it seems to be all sowing and no reaping, 
and you grow discouraged, remember the sure promise, 
" Thou shalt find it after many days." 




WHAT IS PRAYER? 




- HAT is prayer? It is the lifting 
of the heart, the human heart — so 
full of wants, so anxious and 
troubled about many things, so 
full of regrets for the past, so 
burdened with cares of the pre- 
sent, so over-burdened with the 
necessary and possible wants of 
the future— the asking, craving, 
agonizing for things whose name 
is legion. God is not only the 
hearer but the answerer of prayer. 
He is not like the earthly father 
whose child comes to him asking 
for what he wants, but who is too 
busy or too indifferent to attend to his child's wants. 
Far different is it with the dear Father above. He 

107 



io8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

hardly waits for his child to speak, so ready is he to 
hear. He says, in sweetest tones, "What is it, my child? 
Is the burden too heavy for you ? Are your shoulders 
aching from carrying it? Does your frame tremble from 
the exertion of steadying it ? Listen! I loved you before 
the world was." He knows all about that burden; it was 
tested by him according to your strength. Nor was any 
of it laid upon you until he knew that you could carry it 
— nay, he holds the corners thereof, so that the weight 
may not fall upon you. And now bring it to him, and he 
will help you to carry it, so that it will be light. Have 
you a heavy cross to carry? Do not look about you to 
see if there is a lighter one than yours, for rest assured 
that, if you ask, he will help you to bear it. Is it a cross 
of sorrow, poverty, loss, the absence of health? Ah! 
there the minor chord is sounding, that means that truth 
compels you to admit that with such a thorn in the flesh 
evil is ever present with you; that your life is a burden, 
that the sun is dark at noonday, that the moon gives no 
light at night, that courage is gone from you, and like 
Jonah (when his gourd, that had become dear to him, 
withered) you are ready to exclaim, when you are faint 
with the heat, " It is better for me to die to than to live." 

But the answer that your Heavenly Father gives to you 
is, "My child, lean more upon me. Come to me. Ask 
in prayer for help, and I, the Lord, your Father who 
loves you, will make the cross so easy, will rob it so 
greatly of its power to hurt, that you will no longer be 
loth to bend beneath it, but will go singing on your way 
toward Heaven." It is good to remind ourselves that 
such help can be obtained; it is good to remember that 
Jesus taught us to say "Our Father"; to ask for daily 
bread, and that we may love God's will; to ask forgive- 
ness for our sins; deliverance from temptation; to be 
shielded from evil, and finally to be brought into full 
view of the everlasting glory. 

Does your finite mind think that to be answered it must 
be according to your dictation ? Ask the myriads of those 
who have so earnestly prayed in years gone by for what 
God in love withheld, if the answer was not received over 
and over again in the utter thankfulness for not having 
been gratified, not having the gourd ; because now they 



WHAT IS PRAYER? 



109 



can see where the worm would have come up to destroy 
the pleasure that they might have hoped for. 

But more than this; while a large part of prayer con- 
sists of petitions to our Heavenly Father to grant us those 
things that we need: true prayer is more than this. It is 
not mere petition; behind and besides this, it is the feel- 
ing that is down deep in our hearts that prompts the de- 
sire; it is the spring from which bubbles up the fountain 
of yearning for God's blessing; it is the coal that kindles 
the fire upon the altar that will waft the incense up into 
the very presence of God; it is the outcome of the heart 
full of love that is precious in his sight. 

" Have you no words ? Ah, think again ! 
Words flow apace when we complain." 

Take your sorrows, your joys, your trials right to God, 
whose ear is never closed to his children's cry, and take 
it in the accents of true prayer. Do you ask where to 
take it? 

" There is a place where Jesus sheds 
The oil of gladness on our heads; 
A place than all besides more sweet, 
It is the blood-bought mercy seat." 




THE ANCHOR OF THE SOUL. 




ROM many noble ships which leave 
port in strength and beauty no tid- 
ings of safety are ever heard. 
Some incoming vessel may report 
a signal of distress heard in the 
darkness, and a fruitless search ; or 
perhaps a letter may be found in a 
bottle, but that is all that is ever 
known. Upon some beach is a 
broken wreck, the sport and play- 
thing of the breakers, all that is 
left of the stately ship which sailed away so gallantly. 
But what is a wreck on the beach to a wreck on the shores 
of eternity? The ship may go down with all hands on 
board, and yet it may be well with them. The ocean may 
be for them the gate into the heavenly city whence they 
shall go out no more, but this wreck of the soul is a hope- 
less thing, and yet so easily accomplished. It seems only 
necessary to let a soul alone and let it drift, and by some 
terrible tendency in itself it will dash upon the rocks. 
You need not touch the tiller, but some magnetic attrac- 
tion will draw it swiftly into danger. 

If you add the winds of temptation and sjn to accelerate 
its speed, it seems to fly on its destructive course. Surely 
amidst these perils we need a sure and steadfast anchor, 
and this we have in hope: As the huge anchor goes down 
into the great deep and fastens its iron tooth upon the 
moveless rocks, holding the ship like a giant arm, so the 
Christian's anchor of hope goes up into the heavenly 
sanctuary and fastens itself upon Jesus, and we are held 
safely forever, sure and steadfast. Hope is desire and 
expectation, and if we are hoping for some great earthly 
good or pleasure in the near future, it helps us greatly to 
bear present pain or evil. All pain that is not perpetual 
is attended with consolation in the thought that some 
time it will be over, so we can see the cheering power of 
hope. Thus the Christian hope acts. It reaches up to 
heaven and whispers to the soul, this light affliction is 




EB.REWS V' i-ff 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



but for a moment, then comes the great good; heaven will 
atone for all sorrow here. God's people meet adversity 
with courage, one trial after another, shock succeeding 
shock, because they are anchored safely, and have trust 
in God, and a sublime hope in his present favor and his 
future blessing. 

It is a glorious thing to have this anchor of the soul, 
but we must not expect wrong or impossible things from 
its use. For one thing we must not fasten it to visible 
things. That floating log, the world, will not hold. You 
must not throw it on the deck of any passing vessel or 
together you will go to shipwreck. Our anchor must 
fasten upon the invisible things of God. Hope that is 
seen is not hope, but the unseen things are eternal. Let 
us hope in God, in Christ, in heaven, and never fasten our 
soul to the passing things of time and sense. Let go the 
anchor, let out the chain far out of sight down to the 
immovable rock, believing in him whom we have not seen, 
and this hope we shall have as an anchor of the soul both 
sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within the 
veil. 





IN THE SHEPHERDS CARE. 



N familiarizing a lit- 
tle child with what 
would be otherwise 
incomprehensible to 
it, we tell a little 
story that illustrates 
the truth we desire 
it to learn. So 
Christ was wont to 
fix truths in the 
minds of his follow- 
ers by using such 
facts as we're com- 
mon to their every- 
day 1 i f e. In St. 
John x. i, we have a 
true and beautiful 
allusion to the sheep 
and their shepherd. In the Holy Land, where he was 
talking, flocks of sheep were then and are now seen. Such 
flocks of sheep consist perhaps of a hundred or more sheep 
and lambs. The shepherd has a name for every one, and his 
peculiar way of calling them, and they follow him; but a 
stranger's voice frightens them and they run away. Some- 
times a little lamb thoughtlessly skips here and there 
until it wanders away and is lost. But the shepherd 
knows the number as well as the name of each one of the 
flock. So he leaves the ninety and nine with the dog who 
is trained to care for them, and goes to seek the lost one. 
When it is found, tired and frightened, how tenderly he 
8 113 




H4 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



takes it up, and opening the front of his loose gown or 
frock, with what gentle tenderness he puts the little lamb 
inside against his warm heart; and its bleatings cease, 
and the weary eyes close in sleep. 

God's will is worked out in a way that often astonishes 
even those who serve him. When Joseph's brethren, to 
get rid of him, sold him into bondage in Egypt, they 
little thought that they were thereby providing him a home. 
For Joseph's sake, and because they were a thrifty race, 
Pharaoh invited them through him to settle in Egypt. 
And Joseph told them to ask for the land of Goshen, 
which was a goodly land, and as shepherds were an abomi- 
nation to the Egyptians, he knew it would be granted to 
them, and it was. And there they kept their sheep, as 
their descendants did in the days when Christ was 
on earth; when he was their shepherd and they were 
the sheep. Abel was a shepherd, for when the first- 
ling of his flock was accepted he lost his life. That 
shows us that even before the time that the sons of Jacob 
kept their sheep in Goshen there were shepherds and 
sheep. 

The Messiah is often called a shepherd. Isaiah speaks 
thus of him: "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he 
shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in 
his bosom." And in another place we read: "Awake, 
O sword, against the shepherd and against the man that 
is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, 
and the sheep shall be scattered and I will turn mine 
hand upon the little ones." Paul writes to the Hebrews, 
calling Jesus the " great shepherd of the sheep." And 
St. Peter tells the elders of the churc that " when the 
chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of 
glory that fadeth not away." 

So the dear shepherd, Jesus, cares for the sheep, not 
only for the strong ones, but the tender lambs, those 
whose feet easily tire; who faint by the wayside; the 
very ones who wander away into strange fields, and for 
whom the shepherd has to seek. Is it not a pleasant 
thought, that we belong to him? Will it not be safe to 
be folded when the night of death comes, by one who 
knows each one by name? Is it not now worth while to 
learn to know and obey that gentle voice that in the 




"5 



IN THE SHEPHERD'S CARE. 



n6 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



day the sheep are divided from the goats will say: 
" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 
And is it not the highest wisdom so to live that we may 
be among the number who shall then go into life eternal ? 
" The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;' he maketh 
me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside 
the still waters." What a joyful home heaven will be 
when, having found all the lost sheep that he came to save, 
the shepherd shall bring them rejoicing to that blissful 
place, into which we are assured that there shall in no 
wise enter anything that defileth, neither shall 
there be any need of the light of the sun, for the light of 
our blessed Saviour's countenance will fill the whole place 
with joy and with light. 




THE WHEAT AND THE TARES. 




VESTS are the result of 
seed sowing. Good harvests 
can result only from sowing 
good seed and by properly 
preparing the soil. Every 
farmer knows that he must 
plough, and perhaps subsoil, 
before he can reasonably ex- 
pect a crop. The earth gets 
tired of producing, and by 
running the subsoil plough 
deep into the clay and turn- 
ing it over, he is opening up 
ruts into which the rain will fall, and which the snow will 
cover, and that when the spring days are here, the ground 

117 



n8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



will be so invigorated that it will bring forth abundance 
for the harvest. 

So the seed is sown in good time. The sun by day and 
the dew by night fall upon it: it has to die to live; the 
seed germinates, the blade appears, and springing up, the 
wheat forms heads; they fill, they swell, they turn to a 
golden yellow, and lo! the time for the harvest is near. 
The farmer's toil is rewarded when his men, swinging the 
cradle to the monotony of their harvest song, lay great 
swaths of wheat in even rows up and down the field. 
Then the binders come and bind the grain, stacking the 
wheat that it may be carried to the barn where the grain 
is threshed, and the wheat separated from the tares, which 
are burned. 

Is there no lesson for us in all this? Christ said that 
the field is the world, and Christians were compared to 
the wheat; and among the wheat Satan sows tares. Day 
follows day; the weeks, months, years roll together, and 
the Christian life is being developed. The love of Christ 
is at first only as the little wheat grain, but if the germ 
of sincerity is in it, it will at last come to the full fruition 
of the life eternal. 

It is a great comfort to know, when Satan desires to sift 
us as wheat, that the Saviour has prayed for us that our 
faith fail not. How is it, are the tares springing up among 
the wheat? Are you fearing that when "his fan is in his 
hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will 
gather the wheat into his garner," you may be found as 
the chaff? Has Satan sown the tares of sin in your heart, 
so that the good seed is well nigh choked ? Weed them 
out before they are well rooted. Ask the dear Lord to 
help you, and never grow weary until they are burned. 

The path is rough, my father! Many a thorn 
Has pierced me; and my feet all torn 
And bleeding, mark the way. Yet thy command 
Bids me press forward. Father, take my hand. 

Then safe and blest, O lead to rest, 
Lead to rest, lead to rest, 

O lead to rest Thy child! 





GODS SPECIAL CARE. 



OD'S special care extends over all his works 
and to each one of his creatures. We can 
begin at the lowest point, and trace his 
care up to the highest creations. Not even 
a sparrow falls to the ground without his 
notice. We may pluck a daisy from the 
midst of a meadow full of them, or we 
may gather a hundred, and we shall find each one of them 
as carefully shaped and as complete in all its parts as if it 
were the only object of God's creation. May we not then 
trust his care for us? Untold myriads of just such perfect 
flowers are created and die every year in solitudes where 
no human eye beholds them, not only beautiful and per- 
fect, but under the microscope showing a delicacy and 
care of construction which, while it increases our wonder, 
shows that God has bestowed his direct care upon each. 
We may look at the animal kingdom, the thousands of 
beasts and birds which never knew human care. They 
are every one the special objects of God's care. The 
sparrow chirping on the hedge during the stormy winter 
does not fall to the ground without our Father's knowl- 
edge. He feedeth the young ravens and the young lions 
which cry for lack of food. He giveth them their meat 
in due season. 

119 



120 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



And then, rising to the rational creation, to man, he 
careth for each one of us. Jesus spoke of God's care in 
clothings the flowers and feeding the animals as a proof of 
his special care for human beings. We have been made 
capable of knowing and loving him, and we need his care. 
Whoever we may be, whatever our circumstances, we may 
be sure that God cares for us, not only in the mass, but 
individually we have his regard. He calls every one of 
us by name, and distinguishes each by special dealings. 
Every soul has an individual life, and an individual his- 
tory; then, as we are each a separate creation, so we are 
each a separate care to God. We are shut out from fel- 
low creatures in the seclusion of individuality that we 
may be shut in more closely with God. We differ from 
others that God may deal with each of us personally, that 
he may know us, love us, watch over us individually. 
God gives us special care, because he needs various 
workers. 

Each of us is sent into the world to do some particular 
work in some special place, and the very specialty of each 
one's experience brings things to him in an aspect which 
cannot be exactly the same to any other. What a thought 
of precious comfort, that each one of us is the object of 
God's care as much as if we were the only being in the 
universe. Surely it is a balm for every sorrow, to think 
that we may cast ourselves and our burdens upon God's 
infinite care. 




THE CHRISTIAN'S POSSESSIONS. 




'^XX'XX^ ,:: ,- X^-XXX^XXX- 




€~ 



AUL says "All things are yours." And 
when we consider the matter it would 
seem as if there were nothing on earth 
or in heaven, in time or eternity, to 
which the Christian cannot lay claim. 
Estimate religion as a matter of profit 
and see if it does not pay. Test it, 
weigh it, measure it, learn what is in it, and see if godli- 
ness is net profitable. Is it degrading to religion to ap- 
peal in this way to selfishness? Not altogether, though 
it is not of course the highest motive, but it is an appeal 
that we often meet in the Bible. Salvation is called the 
pearl of great price; the hid treasure; the one thing need- 
ful. Godliness is profitable; all things belong to the 
Christian. When men ask, What is religion worth? is it 
profitable? will it pay? Religion takes her stand on that 
level and says, I give all things to those who buy me. 

121 



122 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

What do we find in the catalogue of Christianity's treas- 
ures? We find not only death and things to come, but 
also the world and life and present things; it gives prom- 
ise of the life that now is as well as the life that is to 
come. We are surprised when we see that the world is 
mentioned first in the list of the Christian's possessions. 
Are we not to give up everything for Christ, and what have 
we in the world? Here we are mistaken; it is only our 
sins that we must give up, so there is nothing in the world 
which does not belong to the Christian, save that which is 
a bane and an incumbrance; and for everything that he 
gives up he receives twofold more even in this present 
world. Life and all that makes it good and joyous and 
glorious belongs also to the Christian. He will never ask, 
with the wearied pleasure-seeker, Is life worth living? 
His life is linked with the infinite, is full of fresh joy, is 
sacred to earnest work, and goes on into eternity. The 
Christian's life has a side that satisfies the soul. All who 
are busy by day and weary at eventide need the bright 
radiance of salvation, a true spiritual religion which will 
enter into every relation and transaction of toil, and not 
only regulate them, but give energy of heart and strength 
to fulfil them. 

The present life is the Christian's in the noblest, high- 
est sense, and will be until it is merged in the Sabbath life 
of eternity. Death, too, is the Christian's, for to one 
whose life has been hid with Christ in God death is an 
ally, a servant, a ministering spirit who comes to open the 
radiant gates of an eternal world to the immortal soul. 
Death is gain to the Christian, for it ushers him into the 
joys of things to come. The treasures laid up in heaven, 
they, too, are the Christian's. When mortal life is ended, 
with its scheming and its planning, the things to come are 
his eternal reward, and we cannot put in words the mean- 
ing of this climax nor sum up the value of the inheritance 
of the saints in light. All things are ours, through Christ. 




BURDEN-BEARING. 




OD will let us bear our burdens all by our- 
selves, if we are determined to do so. He 
has promised to sustain and help only 
those who cast off on him their troubles 
and cares. Those of us who will not 
heed this promise, but prefer to go about 
laden down with griefs and perplexities, 
will be permitted to do so. This thought 
is one which should prove of great value from its truthful- 
ness and sound sense. God, all merciful and kind as he is, 
is not going to force us to accept the gracious promises of 
his word. The Word abideth forever, and every promise 
is sure and steadfast, but it is only whosoever will that 
can be benefited thereby. The will and purpose of the 
individual determines whether in each case the comfort can 
be applied and divine aid accepted. Many a sufferer 
from physical disability, after having tested the healing 

123 



124 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

power of some potent remedy, has been heard to declare, 
"Had I dreamed of the virtue contained in such medicine, 
I might have experienced this unspeakable relief long ago; 
but I had no faith in its efficacy until driven to give it a 
trial." In many cases God allows his children to be 
brought into places where they must exercise some faith, 
or sink in despair. At such times, how repeatedly faith 
has proved itself indeed an anchor to the soul ; yet the 
wonder and the pity is that such lessons can be forgotten, 
and the old habit is continually resorted to of trying to 
rid the shoulders of burdens too heavy to be borne, in some 
other way than by casting all our care on him who careth 
for us. The Bible is not taken literally enough, even by 
staunch believers in its doctrines. So cramped and ham- 
pered is the human heart and understanding by earthly 
and everyday-life surroundings, that it would seem as if 
an impression existed that the all-powerful Father in 
heaven was hampered too, and his power bounded by 
natural events. 

It is a helpful, wholesome thing to let the mind dwell 
on the limitless power of God. Keep the thought by you, 
that God is always a very present helper. Do not wait 
until the stress of some extreme experience forces you to 
think of faith and trust as a last resort. Here is comfort 
and help for every day's needs, freely offered, and ready to 
be bestowed if you will only will to avail yourself of the 
blessing. In time of trial think to yourself, " Well, now, 
how useless to attempt carrying this heavy burden unaided 
and alone, when God Almighty waits to be gracious and 
wants to assist me." Only a personal test of what is 
meant by " divine assistance " can ever prove its great 
value. The lamentable tendency of many of the lax 
doctrines of the present day is, undeniably, to weaken a 
literal acceptance of many of the truths of the Bible. 
Christians cannot be too watchful, lest through too gen- 
eral and impersonal views they fail to apply the promises 
of God when and where their help is most needed. Prove 
these things for yourselves; "taste and see that the Lord 
is good." Make an honest, prayerful effort to cast your 
burden, what ever it may be, on the Lord, and your heart 
will be filled with gratitude at finding how divinely you 
will be sustained. 



A SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE. 

" The feeble soul, a haunt of fears, 
Forgot his weakness in thy sight." 




E R E N I T Y and 

spirituality go 
hand in hand. 
The theme, as 
given above 
and as we wish 
to present it, 
has no relation 
to atmospheric 
conditions i n 
our natural 
world, either in 
its ordinar y 
phases of the air 
we breathe, or 
in its phenom- 
enal appear- 
ances. It was 
suggested b y 
the story of an 
experience that comprehends that last change which 
awaits us all. This story was of a brave soul — a faith- 
ful, earnest, inspiring minister of the gospel — one who 
had a message, and who felt the "Woe is me," until he 
delivered it. That man battled for his life against the 
advance messengers of consumption. Repulsed again and 

125 



126 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

again, he fought like a hero, until at last his strong 
spirit was obliged to recognize the truth that further 
resistance to the law of decay must be useless. 

Then, from the sharp agony of the acceptance of the fact 
that he could never hope to stand again in any pulpit to 
hold up Christ to needy souls, could not hope to extend 
his earthly love and care over a large family of children 
through their years of development, came to this brave 
soul a beautiful and rare experience. He began to cast 
his spiritual eyes over toward the fair country of sure 
ease from care and pain, and he saw things there that he 
described not in words, for they were to him, as to that 
vision-seer of the long ago, unspeakable; but he had so 
taken them into himself that they became a part of his per- 
sonality, so far that it created an atmosphere for even his 
family. 

" I do not understand how a fond wife has strength to 
bear the trial of seeing such a husband gradually fade be- 
fore her eyes," remarked one to whom the story was told. 
"The secret lies in being able to get into this spiritual 
atmosphere," answered the other. "Ah, yes!" answered 
one who had listened; but there was a tugging at the 
heart-strings as she remembered how her own loved one 
had at one time been for weeks at the border-land of this 
mysterious country, and had looked over, and how she her- 
self had not been able to recognize the atmosphere, if, in- 
deed, it had surrounded him. Her loved one had not died, 
he had been saved, it seemed under protest, yet saved to 
her longer. After the caller had departed, her words with 
regard to this spiritual atmosphere lingered with the wife, 
and she said within herself, " I'll ask John about it when he 
comes." 

When John at last came in he seemed to bring a fresh 
breeze with him, and taking his seat by the side of the 
window where his wife sat, waited for a word from her. 
After a long silence from the little woman, John looked 
steadily into her face, and noticing her in a brown study, 
asked: "Has anything serious happened, little wife?" 
"Oh, no, John," the wife answered, "only — only I was 
thinking about an — atmosphere, that was all." 

John opened his eyes and gave a long look out of the 
window, where everything seemed sombre and gray under 



A SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE. 127 

the influence of the gathering forces of the storm. It was 
plainly to be seen that John was very far from conceiving 
of the altitude of his wife's vision. Turning his eyes again 
to her face, he caught the perplexed, far-away expression 
that rested there, and remarked: " I really do not under- 
stand you, my wife. " Then she told him all she had heard 
with regard to the atmosphere which the dying man had 
made in his home, and added: " I have been a little puz- 
zled, John, when I remembered that there seemed no such 
atmosphere in your sick room when you were very near to 
death, or was it that I could not get into it ?" 

" I am sure that there was no atmosphere of this kind, 
my wife. This brave man of whom you speak has nothing 
more to do with the world's work, his interests lie now on 
the other side. Whilst he was fighting for his life his 
energy made an atmosphere peculiar to itself that inspired 
others with courage ; now that his rest awaits him, he lives 
in anticipation of it. He is really tarrying in the land of 
Beulah." 

Among our memories there is one of a New England 
town whose leading church was an exceedingly proper 
church, its standard of propriety being as old as its edi- 
fice. To this church, for many years, one had ministered 
according to a flawless theological code, as the church 
members regarded it, and had never once preached a ser- 
mon that had shocked their sense of propriety. But there 
was no spiritual atmosphere in that ministry. Never had 
the people been bidden to tarry whilst the good man went 
up into the mount. To be sure they had never been left 
to the temptation of making idols after their own devis- 
ing. But, in the end, would it not have been well if they 
had been left for a time, and been shocked by finding their 
own weakness, if the thunder and lightning from the mount 
could have been heard and seen by them, and, at last, the 
good old doctor could have come back, not the proper 
minister that went up, but a man with a shining face, 
an inspired man, bearing the law — a sacred mission — that 
he had received from the Lord himself? The preacher let 
things' take their course because he disliked to disturb the 
old order of things by a new atmosphere. 

After his removal by death a young man without much 
experience in the ministry, but with a spiritual experience 



128 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



daily deepening through communion with the Master, came 
to minister to this people. Those who, hungering and 
thirsting, had been waiting for the revelation of God, 
breathed a new, deep life; but those wedded to traditions 
began to feel uneasy, and to compare his preaching with 
the old standard, first to find fault with his theology, and 
at last with his motives, until this man with a needed mes- 
sage found it best to leave the church, where so few seemed 
to be able to breathe in the atmosphere which he created; 
but his atmosphere remains for the benefit of those whose 
spiritual lungs were healthy — until this day. 

Through all the callings of life the true worker distin- 
guishes himself by a power that creates an atmosphere — 
too rarefied often for those who are diseased, yet it is not 
his to question whether the majority will feel exhilarated 
by it. It is his to ask only: " Is it the Spirit's bidding?" 
Such an one, obeying this spiritual necessity, can never 
ask whether his words and work will make him popular, 
never can speculate whether his singular life will place 
him on the side of failure, as the world has it; and when 
he sees worldly friends turning away because of the " at- 
mosphere," he may, in the loneliness of his own soul, cry 
out, as did the great spiritual Teacher: " Will ye also go 
away ?" Yet if he persists in faithfully declaring the whole 
truth, he will finally stand forth victor and king, in the 
highest realm of conception, and receive his crown and 
reward hereafter. 





Piiiwii^wi^iiiwiiiwiimiiwiiiM.liwMiliMliiilii( MB iiiifo^dg 1 a 1 1 B j j i j i g 1 1 M l * I <* '' 1 81 M 



A GOOD NAME. 




F a truth " A good name in 
man or woman is the 
immediate jewel of 
their souls." Strange 
how often the jewel is 
bartered for a mess of 
pottage. Happy is he 
who makes choice of a good name at the beginning of life 
and keeps it to the end. 

Mackenzie writes, " As a rill from a fountain increases 
as it flows, — rises into a stream, — swells into a river, so 
symbolically are the origin and course of a good name. 
At first its beginning is small ; it takes its rise from home, 
its natural source; extends to the neighborhood, stretches 
through the community, and finally takes a range propor- 
tioned to the qualities by which it is supported ; its talents, 
virtue, and usefulness the surest basis of an honorable 
reputation." 

" I had a good name until I became so greedy for gold," 
wept a young man in his prison cell, and his cry might be 
echoed over the length and breadth of the land. Bacchus 
once offered Midas his choice of gifts. He asked that 
whatever he might touch should be changed to gold. 
Bacchus consented, though sorry that he had not made a 
better choice. Midas went his way, rejoicing in his newly 
acquired power, which he hastened to put to the test. He 
could scarcely believe his eyes when he found that a twig 
of an oak which he had plucked became gold in his hand. 
He took up a stone, it changed to gold. He touched a sod, 

Q I2Q 



13° 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



it did the same. He took an apple from a tree you would 
have thought he had robbed the garden of the Hesperides. 
His joy knew no bounds, and when he got home he ordered 
the servants to set a splendid repast on the table. Then 
he found to his dismay that whether he touched bread it 
hardened in his hand, or put a morsel to his lips it defied 
his teeth. He took a glass of wine, but it became liquid 
gold. In consternation, fearing starvation, he held up 
his arms to Bacchus and besought him to take back his 
gift. Bacchus said: " Go to the River Pactolus, trace the 
stream to its fountain-head, then plunge your head and 
body in, and wash away your fault and its punishment." 
Hence Midas learned to hate wealth and splendor and to 
prize a good name only. 

So we say to those who have chosen gold or anything 
else rather than a good name. They will surely yet regret 
their choice. The only remedy is to go to the fountain- 
head, Christ Jesus, and there be washed whiter than snow. 




GOD'S DISCIPLINE. 




WELL-KNOWN artist 
once described the sensa- 
tions with which he wit- 
nessed the burning of a 
lawn. To his practiced 
eye the grass was a picture 
of verdure as it swayed to 
and fro in the brisk spring- 
breeze. True, there were 
spots where it was not 
quite as even as it might 
have been, and despite its 
general greenness small 
patches of brown showed 
here and there. Yet the 
whole effect was one of 
freshness and beauty, and 
it seemed unwise to burn to the earth so much that was 
pleasant to look upon. The artist ventured a remonstrance. 
" My friend," said the gardener, " if you come this way 
in the summer, I shall be glad to show you the effect of 
to-day's scorching and withering along the lawn." 

"And," added the artist, "I did visit the spot in the 
summer, and I never trod a turf of such velvet softness, 
such perfect evenness and suqh living green before." The 
man acquainted with the imperfections and needs of the 
soil understood perfectly what the effect of that scathing 
process would be, and his art, seemingly so unwise to the 
untaught, was that of an expert, and the wisest possible. 
Who of us has not been interested and amused in watch- 
ing the methods of a mother bird, in teaching her birdlings 
how to fly. It often becomes necessary for their tender 
little mothers to push the helpless creatures from the nest 
in order to force them to use their wings, being uncon- 

131 



132 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



scious of possessing such things until forced to discover 
and use them. The lessons imposed upon the young during 
school days, and the restrictions of parents and teachers, 
are often seemingly arbitrary and needless. But who 
would desire to witness the conduct of an undisciplined 
child? If discipline is necessary in forming the outward 
conduct, how much more in forming and perfecting the 
Christian character! 

The Scriptures from beginning to end form a continuous 
story of the fiery discipline God exercised over the people 
and nations of the Bible times. But the results invariably 
justify and prove the wisdom of the measures employed. 

Paul, in his fatherly exhortations to the Hebrews, 
charges them not to faint when rebuked of the Lord. 
Christ tells his followers plainly that in the world they 
shall have tribulation, and tribulation and discipline we 
understand here as synonymous terms. Trouble and trials 
are sure to yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to 
all who are properly exercised thereby. Out from every 
form and kind of discipline comes renewed and pure en- 
joyment to the child of God. The great training school 
of God's providences yields many rare and valuable prizes. 
There are many sweets along the way. Discipline is 
'merely temporary, and is strictly discipline, not punish- 
ment. Accept it as a good soldier — and many times be- 
fore the final crown of victory adorns the brow, there will 
be flowers and sunshine to reward the patient endurance. 





A PREPARED LIFE. 



is such an overwhelming comfort to know 
that our life with its flashes of happiness, 
its vicissitudes, its cares, its sorrows and 
perplexities, has been prepared for us by 
the dear Father, who alone knows what is 
best for us. Trusting him, we cannot be 
surprised on the turning of any corner by 
meeting any emergencies beyond our power to endure; for 
with the emergency comes the grace that we need, the fit- 
ting of the back to the burden. 

From the cradle to the grave our life is one of progres- 
sion; we cannot stand still, for as the shuttle flies, so our 
days and weeks fly past us, carrying their record with 
them, as we keep on to the close. We make many mis- 

133 




134 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

takes, great and small, and there is left many a gap in 
the symmetry of our lives, but the Father is quite able to 
weave out of them a beautiful whole; we make plans but 
do not finish them; we commence to build but are not 
able to complete. We sit before the wheel, and as the 
shuttle flies, dragging the threads of warp and woof 
through the loom, sometimes a thread breaks, and the 
fabric is imperfect, and although it may be so joined to- 
gether as to be imperceptible to the unpracticed eye, yet 
the break is there, and makes a blemish. 

God's work is without wrinkle, or spot, or any such 
thing. He gathers up the ravelled ends, smooths the dis- 
jointed work, and we become complete in him who died 
for us — our Jesus, our Saviour, our Friend. 

Our life is manifestly a life of faith. We believe in 
the God we see not, yet love. Jesus says: " I am he that 
liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive f orevermore. " 
What a comfort it is to believe in a living Christ — not 
one that was crucified, buried and lost, but one who lives 
and reigns forever.. Thomas was not with the other dis- 
ciples when Jesus came to them after his resurrection, but 
he was glad when he saw Jesus, because he could put his 
finger in the print of the nails which had suspended him 
from the cross. To-day our Lord is risen, and sits by the 
right hand of the Father, and we are glad to hear echoing 
down through these thousands of years the words, " Blessed 
are they that have not seen, yet have believed." 

Our prepared life has many rough spots in it; we are 
not promised any full tide of prosperity on which to float 
to heaven; we cannot expect to be carried upon flowery 
beds of ease while we await our Lord's coming, so that 
we can go in to the marriage supper. Stop a moment and 
think! Would we choose, would we prefer such a life? 
In ordering the golden vessels for the tabernacle they 
were to be of beaten gold. The ore was to be melted, 
beaten, burnished, worked, until it was strong and beauti- 
ful. What does an uncultivated garden produce 'but 
weeds? What good would a life that was inert, unpro- 
ductive, undisciplined, do for character? We know that 
" character groweth day by day, and all things aid it in 
unfolding." That little word " all " holds a vast amount 
of meaning for us: it means our cares, little troubles, 



136 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

slips, mistakes, trials, joys; and every one of them aids 
in unfolding character — our character — that will never be 
fully developed until in heaven we no longer see darkly. 
In the light from the throne we shall also see that every 
trial is allowed by the gracious love of the Father, who 
in preparing our life filled it full to overflowing of mercy, 
help and love. 

We will not then regret the blind eyes that now trouble 
us, and if we could return there would no longer be any 
cry upon our lips except, " Lord! that I might receive my 
sight to behold the wonderful things that thou art ever 
showering upon the path of our prepared life." Beloved, 
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear 
what we shall be: but we know when he shall appear, we 
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 





A CITY OF REFUGE. 

N the Bible we are told that when a man 
accidentally killed another, God ordered 
Moses to furnish him with a place or city 
of refuge to which he might flee and where 
he might remain in safety. 

Of such cities there were three on each 
side of Jordan, as can be seen by Joshua xx. 7. On the 

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138 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

west Kedesh of Napthali, Shechem and Hebron; on the 
east Golan, Ramoth-Gilead and Bezer. These cities of 
refuge were not only for the children of Israel, but for all 
strangers who resided in the country. It was not contrary 
to God's will that the injured should seek revenge. Moses 
says: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." He did 
not therefore forbid the desire for redress, but provided a 
place of refuge to which the accidental slayer could run. 
It is said by some writers that good roads and sign-posts 
were made to facilitate the escape. After the escape re- 
venge is said to have been sought upon some member of 
the slayer's family; and thus feuds were kept alive for 
thirty and forty years. 

Among the nations of antiquity the temple, especially 
the horns of the altar, were supposed to be guarantees of 
safety; but in some cases the Hebrews in violation of this 
dragged the culprit even from the altar and put him to 
death. 

When Joab was flying from King Solomon he " caught 
hold upon the horns of the altar. " But thereat the king's 
command he was slain. 

We have not perhaps killed any one, but sinners as we 
are, do not we need a city of refuge to which we can flee? 
In Heb. iv. 18 we find that a refuge has been furnished 
for us. Wherefore, "that by two immutable things, in 
which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a 
strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold 
upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an 
anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, which enter- 
eth into that within the veil." 

What more can we want or need ? Christ overcomes the 
law, stands between us and an avenging God, and with 
his dear arms shields us from every harm through time and 
eternity. 




WATCH ! " 




HORT and emphatic as is this 
command of our Saviour, it in- 
volves a whole volume of cau- 
tion and warning. To make it 
the more impressive he extends 
the injunction to make it reach 
and apply to all readers of the 
Scriptures for all time to come. 
" And what I say unto you, I say 
unto all, watch! " This watchful- 
ness was not meant to be put into 
practice merely at an hour when 
the thief or when death might be 
expected, but it was to prove a 
safeguard at all times. The exact 
time of peril is rarely known, so 
the only safe way is to be continu- 
ally on guard. But the watchful- 
ness of which the Saviour speaks 
is far more comprehensive, we take 
it, than would at first appear. The 
caution is one not only for the 
time of danger, of death, but 
should stand by as a kind of watch- 
word for life. Years ago a teacher 
wrote in our copy-book at school 
has followed one pupil, at least, through 
' Learn to live as you would wish to die." 
a rule which if followed will make life 
worth living, will rob death of all terror, and rid the mind 
of all forebodings as to the future. 

A life of watchfulness is a life of safety. There is a 
very strong lesson for parents to be found in this brief, 
sharp text of Scripture. Parents often wonder where their 
children have learned certain things they have never taught 
them, and where they have acquired certain habits and 

139 



a motto which 
life thus far: 
This involves 



140 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

tendencies never learned at home. The old alarum, the 
" watch" of the Bible, has been mated to a degree by the 
phrase " eternal vigilance" of late years. And if eternal 
vigilance, which is only a longer term for the word watch- 
fulness, is the price of peace and safety in a worldly sense, 
the same conditions apply in matters of vital and spiritual 
importance. # 

The trouble too often is that parents relax a strict watch 
over their children before they have sense enough to dis- 
cern just what is right and what is wrong, and before 
they have strength to resist temptation. If only every 
mother blest with the care of little children would take 
time at night to ask a few searching questions, it would 
be a great help toward keeping the little feet in the right 
path. Ask a child gently and lovingly at bedtime if it 
has said or done anything during the day which it thinks 
mamma would be sorry to know. Try it. Night is an 
impressive time to susceptible childhood, the hour favor- 
able for frank confessions and tender confidences. It very 
often would be a great relief to unburden the heart of 
some little conscious sin. Get at the child's heart and 
have it in your keeping, then keep over it an eternal 
watch, that is, in so far as the word eternal can apply to 
the bounds of time. 

As the children grow older try to know just where they 
spend their time when out of the house. Make the attrac- 
tions of home so great that when evening comes it will be 
the rule to stay in, and the exception to go away from 
home in quest of entertainment or pleasure. And then — 
a matter of great importance — know what they are reading, 
and be sure to know who is the author of the books they 
read. It will take time to give the mind a taste for the 
right kind pi reading, but a relish once formed for only 
good books will almost invariably prove an abiding one. 
Watch at every point and at all times. Watch even as 
you would pray, without ceasing. Watchfulness is not 
peevish anxiety. It is not a restless prying about with 
troubled eyes. It should be a calm, never-ending vigil- 
ance, an earnest, persevering effort to see and judge wisely 
our own desires, motives, and deeds, and also those of the 
children committed to our care. It is to adopt as our 
motto the watchword given us by Jesus, our Master. 




GOD'S INSTRUMENTS. 




OD uses very humble instruments 
to carry out hi's great works. Gid- 
eon had but an empty pitcher and 
a lamp, yet he put to flight with 
them the host of Midian. With 
an oxgoad Shamgar defeated 
the Philistines, and with a rude 
sling David slew the giant Goliath. 
Simple instruments these to accomplish such 
great results, and by a no less simple instru- 
ment God works out the salvation of.mankind. 
By the foolishness of preaching he saves 
them that believe. What has the preacher? 
Only a small vantage on the side of God, 
after people have been exposed for six days together to 
the full weight of the world's temptation. Only a short 

141 



142 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

hearing for a matter of life and death — but some thirty 
minutes to get at the separate hearts of men, to convince 
them of all their weaknesses, to shame them for all their 
sins, to warn them of all their dangers, to try by this way 
and that to stir the hard fastenings of those doors where 
the Master himself has stood and knocked, yet none has 
opened, and to call at the openings of those dark streets 
where wisdom herself has stretched forth her hands and 
no man regarded. 

Who is the preacher? an angel ? No, though he might 
have been. Every Sabbath morning the windows of 
heaven might have opened, and into every sanctuary of 
earth a shining messenger might have been sent into 
the pulpit, and when he had veiled his glory with his 
wings, might have taken up the wondrous theme of Jesus 
and his love. Gladly would the angels do it, if com- 
manded, for such is the work they love. Rather than 
fill the highest earthly throne, an angel would feel hon- 
ored to fill a pulpit and tell the story of the cross. But 
such is not their mission. While they are deeply inter- 
ested in the success of Christ's cause, while their wonder- 
ing eyes are upon the sinner who can resist the Saviour's 
love, while they make heaven's arches ring with trium- 
phant songs over one sinner that repenteth, rejoicing in 
the salvation of a soul even more than mortals do, yet 
their interest is at best only the watching of spectators. 

Crowding the corridors of heaven they look down with 
eager eyes and beating hearts as the battle rages here and 
there, Satan and his forces on one side, men and the cross 
on the other. As we fight against principalities and 
powers and rulers of darkness, they love to see us buckle 
the armor tighter, grasp the sword more firmly, and lift 
up the cross more valiantly. But they are not permitted 
to lend a hand to help, else gladly would they leave the 
heights of heaven, and, lighting on the sanctuary, sound 
a trumpet note of encouragement which would thrill the 
pulses of the languid, and inspire new life in the 
wounded. Eagerly would they raise this or that fallen 
brother, tenderly would they bind up wounds where the 
arrows of the adversary had struck, and zealously would 
they enlist new recruits, furnishing them with the helmet 
of salvation, and putting in their hands the sword of the 



144 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Spirit. Yes, gladly would they do the preacher's work, 
and honored would they feel to be sent visibly to watch 
with folded wings beside a sick bed. 

Surely this work of preaching were worthy of an angel's 
power and eloquence and knowledge, and would seem to 
demand angelic messengers. But instead of this, in the 
pulpit is placed a poor, frail, dying man, tempted and 
tried and sinful, living the same life his hearers live, 
beset with the same infirmities, needing the same salva- 
tion. Surely this is an humble instrument which God 
has chosen; the treasure of the Gospel is committed to 
earthen vessels, sometimes of the coarsest clay, rude and 
misshapen. Yet God's wisdom is never so apparent as 
in this. Who can speak more truly of sin than a sinner ? 
Who can tell so rapturously of pardon as a pardoned man? 
Who can plead so well for Christ as one for whom Christ 
pleads? And whp can tell so touchingly the story of the 
cross as one who has been weeping beside it himself? 

The preacher must needs be a man. Those white-robed 
angels never felt the misery of sin; how could they preach 
like those who have had experience of guilt, have felt the 
serpent's sting and have fled to the Rock of Ages for 
peace, and joy, and life? Men are best fitted to preach a 
Saviour, to plead with men for God, and with God for 
men. Truly God hath chosen the foolish things of the 
world to confound the wise, and the things of earth that 
are weak and despised, he hath chosen for his instruments, 
and they accomplish his great purpose no less truly than 
if he had sent angelic messengers to fulfil his will. 





IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 

LAS, how often the old question comes 
knocking at the door of our tired 
souls! How many weary, overbur- 
dened souls have answered it with a 
terrible negative by peremptorily 
summoning death without God's sanc- 
tion. Such awful presumption sends 
a thrill of horror over even a world- 
ling. But Christians take a different 
view of life from the fact that they 
believe in love and intelligence at the 
helm, and even as rowers in a boat turn 
their backs to the shore and trust to the 
man whose eye is fixed upon it, so 
should we proceed in duty through 
life — turning our backs from our anx- 
ious cares for the future, and leaving 
the guidance of them all to God, who 
is at the helm. Had these tortured 
souls, who found life unendurable, trusted in God, they 
10 M5 




146 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

would have been guided safely until the Lord, in his own 
good time, had called them. 

The root of the trouble may be, and often is, that peo- 
ple forget that happiness is not the end of life. . If one 
could remember in life's emergencies that adversity is the 
true touchstone of merit he might hope to rise above it. 

We can answer without pausing for thought that some 
lives are not worth living. If every storm weakens us, 
every breath of wind chills us, every thorn in our path 
discourages us, every blast from the furnace shrivels, we 
are faint and weak indeed. One might appropriately com- 
pare such lives to that of those unhappy victims where the 
prisoner is put in a cell, which, at the first entrance, pre- 
sents an air of comfort and ease; but after being a few 
days confined, he observes the dimensions of his chamber 
beginning to contract and day by day the sides draw 
closer, till the hapless inmate at last is crushed to death. 

Lives are worth living, if they answer the purpose for 
which they were given. And such lives, how ineffably 
sweet and fruitful they are! God's smile beams upon 
them, and all humanity is conscious of the fact. Some 
of them, perhaps most of them; are quiet lives — no osten- 
tation, no bustle and stir, only earnest, faithful, and con- 
scientious doing of whatever their hands find to do. But 
"tiniest insects build up loftiest mountains." Broad 
bands of solid rock which undergird the earth have been 
welded by the patient, constant toil of invisible creatures, 
working on through the ages, unhasting, unresting, fulfill- 
ing their Master's will. On the shores of primeval 
oceans, watched only by the patient stars, these silent 
workmen have been building for us and for themselves 
the structure of the world. 

We ought to begin life as at the source of a river, grow- 
ing deeper every league to the sea; whereas, in fact, 
thousands are like men who enter the mouths of rivers and 
sail upward, finding less and less water everyday; and 
in old age they lie shrunk and gaping upon the dry ground. 
If youth is still yours, thank God and build the founda- 
tions strong, so that you may be able to give an earnest 
affirmative to the question heading this article. No regret, 
nor grief, nor remorse, nor desire can regain a lost youth — 
there is only one spring-time in the year. But whether 



IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 



147 



young or old, we can solve the problem whether life is 
worth living only by doing all God requires of us, offering 
our " bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." 
The Psalmist answers " Yes" with a chime as sweet as that 
of silver bells when he says, " The righteous shall flourish 
like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall 
flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring 
forth fruit in old age." 





CHARACTER. 



T has been truthfully said, that 
character is what a person is, 
and reputation what he seems 
to be. Now we are all some- 
thing, consequently we all 
have character; we all seem 
to be something, hence we all 
have reputation. Each one of 
us" has been endowed with a 
will-power, enabling him to 
choose for himself what he 
will be. One of the last 
recorded acts of Joshua was 
to assemble the tribes of Israel 
at Shechem and say to them, " Choose ye this day whom 
ye will serve," thus asserting that power of choice rested 
with the people. This power of choice rests as much with 
the people now as it did then. Good and evil are in the 
world ; we may choose between them, and according to our 
choice so will our character be. 

It is of vital importance to ourselves that we choose the 
good. A good character will tend to give us a good rep- 
utation; and the wise man said, "A good name is rather 
to be chosen than riches. " It will also keep us from doing 
much that is wrong, and cause us to do much that is right. 
A good character is also of importance to others, for it 
makes one a friend to be relied on when fortune frowns as 
well as when she smiles. If by any means you chance 
to be in need, this friend will ever remain firm and ready 
to lend a helping hand. 

In the formation of character, the study of the Bible 
and a realization of the truths therein contained, is of the 
utmost consequence. Train up a child in the way he should 
go, says Solomon, and when he is old he will not depart 

148 



CHARACTER. 149 



from it. Even the most favored man meets with many 
difficulties in this life. There are trials to withstand and 
temptations to overcome; and if the enemy sees himself 
about to be vanquished he will be ready to effect a com- 
promise. But a man needs the stability of character 
which will enable him to meet all such proposals with an 
immediate and unconditional refusal. 

Christ is the great example to be followed. He was firm. 
After fasting for many days, when he must have been suffer- 
ing the extreme pangs of hunger, he was tempted of the 
devil to turn stones into bread; then he was taken to a 
pinnacle of the temple and tempted to cast himself down; 
and then he was taken up into a high mountain and shown 
the kingdoms of the earth, and promised them if he would 
fall down and worship Satan. But Christ resisted all 
temptations. He had so great stability that his character 
could not be overturned, neither by Satan nor all the 
powers of darkness. 

The broader we make the foundations of our character 
on the bed-rock of truth, and the lower their centre of 
gravity, so far as anger, hate, jealousy, and other wrong 
emotions are concerned, the greater will be their stability. 
And if the foundations are very broad and the centres of 
gravity very deep, there is but little danger of our char- 
acter being injured by Satan or any one else. The fifteenth 
chapter of the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians 
closes with these characteristic words, " Therefore, my be- 
loved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abound- 
ing in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is 
not in vain in the Lord." 





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WILL IT PAY? • 



HE question of gain or loss is one 
that is always uppermost in 
men's minds, when they are 
undertaking any new scheme 
or engaging in any new pur- 
suit. "Will it pay?" is the 
question that arises involun- 
tarily, and if the question is 
answered in the negative, 
. it almost invariably decides 
the fate of the undertaking. 
It is not strange, therefore, 
that when we come to the consideration of so solemn a 
question as that of the soul's salvation this thought comes 
to our mind. Centuries ago Peter asked the self-same 
question of our Saviour. " Behold we have forsaken all, 
and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" 

It was not much that the disciples had left, only then- 
nets and boats, but it was as much to them, and just as 
hard to forsake, as the great wealth of the young man who 
turned away sorrowfully because he could not bring him- 
self to give it up. They had given up their all, their life 
and livelihood, and the associations of their youth. They 
loved the water as all who have lived by it do ; the smooth 
stretches of Gennesaret formed the dearest spot m the 
world to them, yet at a word from Christ they had forsaken 
home and family and occupation; the question now was, 
What shall we have therefore ? 

It is a question which more than one disciple has asked, 
and a question which stands squarely across the threshold 
of the Christian life. If we become Christians must we 
really renounce all the world, and turn aside from all its 
gains and pleasures ? We stand here on ground that must 
place where Christ meant us thus to stand, but on either ex- 
treme the right and the left, there are places of danger. 
On the one side is a marsh which will sadly hinder the teet 

151 



152 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



of a disciple, on the other side is a Vanity Fair where 
heedless pilgrims are beguiled until they forget the race 
that is set before them. 

If we look over the one side we shall find a motley throng 
of hermits, their homes in the dens of the earth ; and of 
pillar saints, raised high in their isolation; of religious 
beggars, denying themselves, to live upon frugal charity. 
These are the products of bygone ages, but they are rein- 
forced in these later times by a sad sort of Christians, who 
think if they love Jesus, they must by just so much cease 
to love their home and family; who are constantly mak- 
ing close examinations to see whether they love their dear 
ones better than God, and are continually going through 
a process of getting ready for the wife, or husband, or 
children to be taken away, which renders them constantly 
melancholy and sad. But surely this is a mistake. We 
know that if the ascetics and hermits and their kind of 
Christianity had continued, the whole world would be 
wrapped in heathendom to-day, and we know that God or- 
dained the family relation, and implanted human love in 
the heart. If there had been so great a conflict between 
these things and himself, he would not have endowed us 
so richly. 

God gave us our possessions and comforts, and meant us 
to enjoy them. Is it reasonable to suppose that because 
one is a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, the very Son 
of God, he has thereby forfeited all the comforts of life 
and thrown away all worldly gain? Is it true that every 
one except Christians can have gold and silver and pleas- 
ure, and they cannot have them, because they are heirs of 
heaven? Does God give all his bounties to his enemies 
and reserve none for his children? This is absurd rea- 
soning, and any healthy mind can see the folly of it at 
once. So far from this being true, the fact is that love 
for God intensifies all our lawful affections, makes hus- 
band and wife dearer to each other, renders children more 
loving, and hallows and sanctifies all possessions. 

Of course we cannot expect to accept the Gospel with- 
out some loss, but let us see what it is that the Christian 
must give up. Upon examination we find that the Chris- 
tian need give up nothing which his new heart would want 
to keep, or would think worth having. He takes with 



WILL IT PAY? i$3 



him everything which one's senses have a right to enjoy, 
and besides this he gets everything that it is possible for 
the soul to experience, and in the possession of this quick- 
ened energy and power, can look over the world and say, 
" He gives me all things richly to enjoy." 

Then what does the Christian sacrifice? Only the 
things that he is far better without; some pet sins and in- 
dulgences perhaps, to which his heart clings. But he is 
far better off without them. You know there can be more 
of a man when there is less of him. When pride and self- 
ishness and intemperate desires are abandoned, that which 
remains of the character is greater and better than the 
whole mass was before. It costs an effort at first to give 
them up, but these things must be sacrificed with a ruth- 
less hand, for they are only blemishes upon a life after 
all. It is a blessing to get rid of them, even though it 
cost sacrifice and, struggle, and self-denial. 

When we stand in the great hereafter we shall not be 
disposed to look back upon or think much of what we have 
given up for God; we shall see that the gain is infinitely 
greater than the sacrifice. Against every self-denial and 
sacrifice that goes down on the debit side, we may put to 
God's credit the daily and hourly preservations, the mer- 
cies new every morning and fresh every evening, and the 
goodness and mercy that have followed us all the days of 
our lives. 





PEACE, BE STILL!" 




ERILY, of the height and depth and 
breadth of God's love no one can 
fully know. If Christ dwells in our 
hearts and they are thus rooted and 
grounded in love, through faith, 
they, will become strong to appre- 
hend the love of God. Storms of 
sorrow may come, waves of distress 
may beat around us, but the dear 
Lord, who never causes his child a 
needless tear, knows all about it, 
and even though we may think that Jesus is asleep, he 
will say to the waves, " Peace, be still." 

God's love covers all our sins; it hides us in the hollow 
of his hand; restless and careworn as we are, it shields us 
beneath the wings of the dove of peace It brings rest to 
the weary, the entering into the rest that remaineth for 
the people of God, not after death only, but now, as soon 
as we choose to claim it. 

God's love abides with us not only now, but always and 
forevermore; not only for time but eternity. What has 
God's love done for you? Are you hiding in it from the 
wrath that belongs to the children of disobedience ? Is 
God's love the precious boon that you crave above all 
else? While it is unfathomable, is it also so interwoven 
with your desires that darkness is made light? 

Do you owe the dear Lord anything? Has he given 
you life, health, strength, your home, your daily bread? 
Is it because of God's love that Christ has died for you, 
that though your sins be as scarlet they may be washed as 
white as snow ? Does he abide with you in the house, 



walk with you by the wayside, live in you ? Get 
before God, forget self, learn to see only Jesus, 
say, 

" Take my love, my God; I pour 
At thy feet its treasure store ; 
Take myself; and I will be 
Ever, only, all for Thee. 
All to Thee, all to Thee, 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee." 

154 



low down 
and then 



CHRISTIAN CHEERFULNESS. 




UCH of the success of life is due 
to Christian cheerfulness. There 
is no one whose history is not 
sprinkled here and there with vexa- 
tions, disappointments, and trials; 
but then, a cheerful spirit helps 
wonderfully in bearing them. Sup- 
pose when the troubles come, you 
go about with a long face, moan- 
ing over what hurts you, constantly 
fretting about your losses, disap- 
pointments, worrying about what 
is inevitable. How much do you gain? What is there at 
the end of the turmoil of mind that you have raised, but 
an hundredfold more of trouble than you had before ? 

If you so lament and worry, is your life a benediction 
to any one? Are you a help to any one who is trying to 
get on in the Christian life? Do any of God's little ones 
find strength and renewed courage from being with you ? 
Are the burdens that are borne on men's shoulders any 
easier to carry because you try to lift even the least lit- 
tle corner of them ? 

But, you say, " I never harm anybody. I never add to 
any one's cares. I never hold any one back who is try- 
ing to get on in the Christian life." Stop a moment and 
think. Do you exist in a little world that is made for 
you alone? Then, if you do live in a world of God's 
creating, a busy world in which every life touches every 
other, where men and women are striving for daily bread, 
where the wail of the poor, the hungry, the sinful, is aris- 
ing in an awful, solemn chorus to the ears of the dear 
Father of us all, is it nothing to you? Can you afford, 
with the realities of eternity staring you in the face, to 
say, " I am not my brother's keeper?" 

There goes a sad, weary one whose life is full to the 
brim of anguish, who has not a place in which to lay a 
tired head, to whom even the sun is veiled in shadow; 
and sometimes, when eyes ache with looking for some- 

i55 



156 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



thing better, they are turned upward to heaven to see if 
even there a ray of comfort may come to pierce the low- 
ering clouds. And when no answer comes to the ears not 
attuned to the whispers of the still, small voice, they turn 
to look at you, and seeing only a gloomy brow and heavy 
eyes, they are not bettered by the minor chords of your 
voice, nay, judging from your own lack of cheerfulness, 
they are persuaded that religion is as comfortless and 
useless as anything they have tried; and they become 
reckless, hopeless, and discouraged. 

Go to some of the many missions in the city that are 
established to help the helpless; see how eagerly they 
watch those who have a word to speak for Jesus; and 
above all, see how even for the moment a cheerful face 
reflects upon their own. A religion which can bring 
cheerfulness and happiness is surely worth seeking. And 
so you come to realize what a blessed thing cheerfulness 
is. It is the reality that puts into every trial and every 
disappointment the blessed "Lord's will," that makes 
them so much easier to bear. 

Cheerfulness must be genuine, not put on as a mask 
that can be removed at pleasure; it must be the outcome 
of a healthy soul, the shining forth of the light that is 
within you, the real, actual cheerfulness of one who is 
not insensible to the troubles and trials of this life, but 
who lives above them and endures them with cheerful 
patience because he is true to his convictions of Christian 
life beyond. 





HE SMTH." 




T seems easy enough to understand that one's 
life may reach such a degree of anxiety 
that there is a hopeless outlook as to un- 
ravelling it. On every side plans are 
hemmed in by the pros and cons; one reason 
points to a decision in one direction, another 
reason in another; friends advise one 
course, when our own judgment recom- 
mends another; and in a weary, hopeless 
way we sit down, and wish the mists would 
clear away that hide the light for which 
our hearts, as well as our eyes, ache, and 
we despair more and more as to what is 
best. 

In such seasons of deep and sore trial, 

the Christian has a secret pass-word which 

robs them of all power to harm beyond 

what we are able to bear. It is the precious words, " He 

saith it is best." 

The darkest part of the night is just before the dawn. 
" Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the 
morning." It is well to look at it in this way, to remem- 
ber that after a few hours of night, of trial, of suffering, 
there comes the eternal day. 

At the marriage of Cana in Galilee, when Jesus turned 

i57 



i58 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



water into wine for the needs of the feast, the mother of 
Jesus said to the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto 
you, do it." 

The substance of this comforting thought is thus not 
only "He saith," — but "whatsoever he saith." Are you 
to do the whatsoevers of his loving commands? Will 
you say: 

" Saviour, I weary of this ceaseless mind, 

That needs must spin and spin its tangling thought ; 
That needs must weave what thou dost bring to naught. 
Rest I would find! 

"Not thoughts of thee, but thine own self impart! 
Ever I learn thy precepts and thy way, 
Yet know not how to follow and obey. 
Teach thou my heart!" 




A STRANGER AND A PILGRIM. 




HE Psalmist said of himself: "I am a 
stranger in the earth." And this 
world was to him a scene of perpetual 
warfare. In some sense, and really in 
the highest sense, this is true of the 
Christian. Every Christian may adopt 
the language as his own. We are all 
> strangers here. If we were to cross 
the ocean and to mingle with the peo- 
ple of some foreign land, not only 
would the faces of all be unfamiliar, 
but they would all be to us of a 
"strange speech," and in vain should 
we seek to communicate with one an- 
other. We should be strangers in a 
strange land. 

And in yet another important sense 
we are strangers in the earth. For the 
most part we are strangers to the inner 
life of others, to their thoughts and 
feelings, their joys and sorrows, and they are alike 
strangers to ours. " Every heart knoweth its own bitter- 
ness. " The world within ourselves is for the most part 
known only to God and to our own hearts. It is but 
little comparatively that others know of our inner lives, 
our trials, our secret sins; and our efforts to overcome 
them are known only to the all-searching eye. 

But not only are we strangers in the earth, but we are 
also pilgrims here. The world is not our home. We are 
on the march rapidly passing through it. We are hurried 
on from one stage of the journey to another, and shall 
soon be gone, and done forever with all earthly things. 
Truly may we all say: "We are strangers before thee, 
and sojourners, as were all our fathers; our days on the 
earth are a shadow, and there is none abiding." Nor 
would we have it otherwise. The true Christian can truly 
say — 

" Heaven is my home." 
159 



i6o 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



Nor shall we be strangers there. We shall know our 
best friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, and dwell forever in 
nearness to him. We shall know the holy angels, some 
of whom were ministering spirits to us whilst we were 
strangers here. And we shall know all the millions of 
the blood-washed saints, amongst whom will be many 
whose names and lives have already become familiar to 
us, and whose examples have proved so helpful and so 
dear to us while yet here in the house of our pilgrimage. 
In no true sense shall we be strangers there. Most 
delightful will be our converse as the everlasting years 
shall roll on. We shall compose one great, happy family, 
and we shall all fully know each other, and in like man- 
ner be known. 




GOD -OUR FATHER." 




UR FATHER.— There is nothing 
sweeter to the Christian than 
this. "We are not like children 
who must go out from our 
Father's house in the morning, to 
spend the working day away from 
him, and only to come back to him 
at evening. No; we are with 
him, and he with us, all the day 
through. We never leave his 
presence ; he is beside us through 
all our work, our weariness, our 
perplexity, our worry, all the 
day. And we may tell him what 
we want, and how we are feel- 
ing — not stiffly and formally, 
twice a day at morning and even- 
ing, but as often as we please. 
He will not weary of listening to us, if we do not weary 
of speaking to him. We need not limit ourselves to 
morning and evening prayer. Twenty times, and far 
more than that, as you go through your day's work, the 
eye may look up for a moment, the heart may be lifted 
up; the brief word may carry up to God's ear the story of 
your need and of your trust in him. 

Sitting down to your desk and taking up your pen, if 
that be your work, O you do not know how much better 
you may do it for just covering your eyes with your hand 
for a minute and asking God's blessing in prayer! Or, 
dealing with your fellow-men — some of them impracti- 
cable and wrong-headed enough — some of them sharp-set 
and low-principled enough — some of them provoking and 
stupid enough — how much better you will keep your tem- 
per amid the provocations of business; with how much 
clearer head and kinder heart you will treat your fellow- 



sinners for 
ii 



a word of 



silent 
161 



prayer! If you desire to 



162 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



influence any for good, remember how wisely it has been 
said that the shortest road to any human heart is found 
by God, and explain to your heavenly Father all you wish 
to do. Every little pain will be better borne and every 
little joy enhanced by a moment's silent mention of them 
to God. You can, alone with him, speak of a host of 
little things which really make a great part in your 
thoughts and in your life, yet which are less suitable for 
speaking of in united prayer with other people. 




FAITH OF WOMAN. 




HE intuitions of woman are 
more spiritual than those of 
man. His slower nature 
enables him to reason more 
logically perhaps at times, 
but he often climbs labo- 
riously to the mountain top 
and finds a woman there be- 
fore him who has reached 
the same altitude without 
such effort. She simply 
used her wings of faith and 
they carried her even more 
safely and speedily than his 
reason ever could carry him. 
Emerson says: "All I have 
seen teaches me to trust the 
Creator for all I have not seen." Here is an expression 
of the value of faith from one who thought profoundly. 
Paul says: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for," 
and especially to woman has this spiritual substance been 
largely given. A good woman has more faith than a good 
man. It is natural for her to trust with confidence in a 
higher power, and in this respect, as in many others, she 
is far superior to her husband. 

But without faith woman is a wreck. If old-time 
standards are swept away, she seeks to formulate' a relig- 
ion of her own, and she worships idols of her own creation. 
She becomes a cynical, despondent creature, dependent 
upon some human love it may be, as in the case of George 
Eliot, who, after the shipwreck of her faith, sank into the 
very depths of despondency. The voices that come to us 
from beyond the walls of Doubting Castle have always in 
them a moan of pain, especially if the voices are those of 
women. In the breast of woman is the well of tender- 
ness, whose waters keep the world pure. Worship is to 
her a necessary part of living. She must worship at some 
shrine, and when God gave the command, " Thou shalt 

163 



164 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve," it was not that the act of worship could benefit the 
Creator, but the created. In the earlier ages of the world, 
when human beings were in their infancy, it was neces- 
sary to say, as to wilful children, " Thou shalt !" or " Thou 
shalt not !" but, like older children now, we learn the 
goodness of our Father in leaving us no choice but to 
obey. 

God will more and more reveal himself as a God of 
love, as the world advances, because the time has come 
when love has a greater influence over mankind than 
fear; and one evidence of the truth of the Bible is its 
eternal adaptability to human needs. Am I troubled 
about the doctrines of the Bible? about its system of 
rewards and punishments? While my little child is 
unable to comprehend my first benevolent thought toward 
her, she must be taught by the only system she can under- 
stand — a smile her reward, a frown her punishment. She 
is restrained by a command as she older grows — she may 
not understand why the command is given — yet obedience 
is required for her own perfect development It is only 
when in the maturity of powers, after childhood has 
passed away, that the parent will be able to take the child 
into his counsels and tell the why and the wherefore, and 
show that love lay deep at the root of every command. 





SEEKING RELIEF IN PRAYER. 



In every joy that crowns my days, 

In every pain I bear, 
My heart shall hnd delight in praise, 

Or seek relief in prayer." 




ELIEF we all seek in our troubles and 
trials, but not all in the same way. 
Some resort to the intoxicating cup and 
seek thus to drown their sorrows. Some 
seek to divert their minds by foreign 
travel. Some fly to scenes of pleasure, 
to the ball-room or the theatre. Some 

plunge more deeply into the business and -cares of life; 

and others engage more eagerly in literary pursuits. 

Almost numberless methods are tried. The only true 

method, and that which will give permanent relief, is that 

165 



i66 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

suggested by the heading of this article. It is by telling 
our griefs to God, and seeking his grace. 

The little child is an example to us in this regard. In 
its troubles, it runs to its parent. It flies to its mother, 
and freely tells her all its sorrows. The child of God, 
in all his trials, should always resort first of all to his 
Heavenly Father. Turning away from all other sources 
of relief, he should go at once to the " God of all comfort. " 
This is his precious privilege. Here we are all invited to 
come, and with the assurance that we shall not come in 
vain. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sus- 
tain thee. " "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call 
upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." He is 
graciously nigh unto them to hear their cry and to help 
them. Such is the testimony of thousands. Such has 
been the experience of all who have made the trial. 

They have thus tasted, and seen that the Lord is good, 
and can say with the Psalmist: "I called upon the Lord 
in distress; the Lord answered me, and set me in a large 
place." 

And when you have prayed to God about your distresses, 
and cast them upon him, learn to be silent and be at 
peace. Your affairs are his affairs. If you have tried to 
live as his servant, and to do all things to please him, 
he is your partner in business, and the real head of the 
firm. He can protect you from misfortunes; but if he 
wants you to serve him in trouble, it is because he can 
make trouble do more for you than prosperity.. " Rest 
in the Lord." The great life you live in him is your 
true life, and none of the uncertainties or accidents of 
your external condition can touch it. An inward peace 
is possible to you and me while surrounded by agitation, 
and our hearts may rest while we are maintaining a 
strenuous conflict with difficulties. Be a child again; 
God is your father. Rest in him; his love is wonderful, 
his power is wonderful. The life he lives is beyond the 
reach of storm and of peril, though he cares for us in all 
our cares. Think of him, if you can, rather than of your 
wrongs. Think of him, if you can, rather than of the 
calamities by which you are menaced. 





DESPONDENCY. 

HERE seems to be a natural tendency 
on the part of some people persistently 
to look upon the dark side of things, 
and to look forward to the future with 
gloomy forebodings, no matter how 
& iHr^il bright and unclouded the day may be. 

Almost every phase of human nature 
was represented among our Lord's dis- 
ciples, and the despondent disciple was by no means 
wanting. Thomas always looked upon the dark side of 
things, but the Saviour had no harsh reproof for him; he 
seemed rather to pity than to blame him. For his own 
sake he wished that Thomas could rise above his gloomy 
tendencies. So it is with all desponding Christians. 
Christ does not rebuke them. Very patiently he puts the 
truth before them, tries to dispel the gloom and bring 
them out of the shadows, 



and 
167 



make their hearts 



glad. 



i68 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



There are many causes of spiritual despondency, and 
as often as not they may be physical causes. The body 
may affect the mind. Ill health, unpropitious surround- 
ings, continual over-work, may darken the horizon of the 
mind until not a star is visible. It may be a hereditary 
disposition, or the result of many and keen disappoint- 
ments, or of sad and bereaving providences. It may, too, 
be a natural desire to exact demonstration for the founda- 
tion of faith ; any or all of these things may cause despond- 
ency, and he who knows our frame and orders all our 
circumstances takes all these things into account. He 
remembers that we are but dust, and deals very gently 
with the despondent. 

Yet he tries to lead them, as he did Thomas, into a 
larger, brighter place. There are too many disadvan- 
tages connected with despondency to let it go on unhin- 
dered. There are disadvantages to the persons themselves ; 
they miss great peace and serenity of mind and are apt 
to become captious and irritable. Despondency takes 
the heart out of a person, and though he may go on with 
Christian service, it is with a burdened feeling. 

There are positive disadvantages, too, to the church. 
Despondent people take the heart out of others. If this 
were better, or that were remedied, there might be hope 
of better things, they say, but there are so many things 
that are wrong that they can hardly see any good. Every 
Christian should be loyal to the church of his choice. If 
there are evils they cannot remedy, they should not blazon 
them abroad. Speak only of the good things, uphold 
them, and be loyal to your own church. But close con- 
tact with the Master is, after all, the great remedy for 
despondency. If we cannot look on the bright side of 
things we should go and look into Christ's face. The 
case of the despondent soul that is not saved is far sadder 
than that of the despondent Christian. One who despairs 
of salvation, who has grown spiritually desperate and 
says, " There is no hope for my soul," is in the saddest of 
all conditions, and needs comfort most deeply. 

One of the causes of such despondency is the judgments 
of God, the severer dispensations of Providence with 
which the Almighty sometimes visits people. The real 
meaning of all afflictive providences is that our Heavenly 



DESPONDENC V. 169 



Father still loves and cares for us, and tries by these calls 
to bring us to himself, but oftentimes they are misinter- 
preted into intimations of wrath, and crush out all hope. 

Sometimes the discovery of one's sinfulness produces 
deep hopelessness. Such was the case with the disciple 
who betrayed his Lord. When Judas realized the crime 
he had committed, and found it was too late for reparation, 
his heart stood still, appalled. Like an icy chill the 
thought stole over him, "There is no hope," and out into 
the night he went to end by voluntary death his wretched 
days. Any one who is brought to deep conviction of sin 
feels somewhat of that great despair. 

Then, too, not only the discovery of our sins, but a 
long unsuccessful struggle against any one of them, may 
produce a feeling of despondency. If any one begins the 
conflict with some easily besetting sin, be it great or 
small, the love of strong drink, or a hot temper, or an 
ungovernable tongue, and in that conflict proves unsuc- 
cessful for a time, then there comes over his soul a dark 
cloud. 

This despondency may be a Satanic suggestion. If the 
enemy can get us so fast in the castle of despair, that we 
make no efforts to escape, he counts us as his own. Feel- 
ings of despondency, however originated, are apt to pro- 
duce different effects. Sometimes they produce utter 
misery. A profound melancholy seizes the soul and 
embitters every moment, but a more common result is 
that of recklessness. Like a nerve that has ached itself 
to death, the soul may get past feeling and smile into 
insensibility. One may believe in a measure all the 
threateningsof God's law, and yet feel them no more than 
a stone. Utter indifference and insensibility take posses- 
sion of the mind, and the old life is pursued with careless 
apathy. Sometimes recklessness follows despondency, 
and this is the saddest of all results. 

But there is really no cause for spiritual despondency. 
There is no human being, however straitened his spir- 
itual circumstances, who may not, while he draws the 
breath of life, turn unto God and be saved. The will of 
God, the promises of God, the power of God all forbid 
despondency, and bid despairing souls turn to the One 
who is mighty to help. 



BE NOT WEARY IN WELL DOING. 




not weary in well doing. 
We are not to work 
always, and even when 
we are at work we learn 
that many things do not 
follow our bidding, and 
we must wait upon 
theirs. More and more 
we learn this truth as 
years interpret to us our 
own limitations, and the 
force of the great tide 
upon which we and all 
things float. Our pa- 
tience is quite as much a measure of our wisdom as our 
enterprise; nay, what folly stamps every enterprise which 
is not begun in the patience which can bear delays as 
well as in the courage that can dare risks! Children of 
time, when we are doing our best we must wait God's 
hours for opportunity in our special aims; and, above all 
our special aims, we must lean upon Him to carry us for- 
ward in the one divine way which earthly power may ac- 
cept but not control. Blessed is the office of true patience 
in relation to time. Vast is the loss it saves by keeping 
for efficient action the time and thought saved from fret- 
ting and struggling against what cannot be helped. Vast 
is the gain it secures by keeping the soul calm before God, 
accepting'the allotments of his providence, and watching 
wisely the lessons of the events which it cannot control. 
Are there not twelve hours in the day? said he who con- 
secrated them alike by his waiting and his work, whose 
crowning sacrifice, alike in its act and its sufferance, il- 
lustrated the worth of time, and leaves upon its track the 
alternate footprints of labor and patience to mark the 
way of eternal life. Blessed are the hours to us, when 
calmed by his patience as well as quickened by his fidelity. 

170 




AFFLICTION 



AND 



TRIBULATION. 



ORE trials and deep afflictions 
are often the portion of the 
Christian's heritage here. 
Often, like the Prophet Elijah, 
we are inclined to be despond- 
ent therefrom. But affliction 
is frequently the fire that con- 
sumes the dross and separates it from the finer metal. 
So essential is this that the all-wise Father has seen fit 
that every redeemed soul shall pass through some fiery 
furnace of trial in this life, and the fact that one's way 
is beset with much affliction and many temptations shows 
that it is the highway that God has ordained that his 
children should travel as they journey heavenward. What 
does he say? " In the world ye shall have tribulation." 
And in Hebrews, " For whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
eth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Peter 
writes, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
trial which is to try you." And Paul adds, "For verily 
when we were with you, we told you before that we should 
suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass and ye know." 

But the afflicted may ask, Why is this ? Let us see what 
James says: "Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
tions, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of 
life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." 
And Paul exultingly cries, "Yea, for our light affliction, 
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more ex- 
ceeding and eternal weight of glory," and he goes on to 
say: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time 
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall 

171 



172 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



be revealed in us." Again he says: "If we sutler, we 
shall also reign, with him. " And in Revelations we read : 
" These are they which came out of great tribulation, and 
have washed their robes, and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne 
of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and 
he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 
They shall hunger no more, neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst 
of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes." 




LABORING IN THE VINEYARD. 




" Hast thou not agreed with me for a 
penny a day ? " 

OW much has been written and 
said about this parable! It is 
impossible to explain it by any 
worldly reasoning, but how 
easy to understand when we 
grasp the real meaning! 

The Lord of the vineyard is 
the great head of the Church. 
He sees fit to call many in 
infancy and youth to labor in 
his vineyard, to be his chil- 
dren by covenant, to call him 
Abba, Father. Others heed the 
summons in early manhood or 
womanhood, and put their 
hands to the plough. Again, 
some (very few) are obedient to the Master's call for 
laborers when old and* feeble, perhaps unable to do any 
great work. Still, when evening comes, when death 
calls to rest, or the laborers stand before the judgment 
seat, each will receive the same, "a penny," in the words 
of the parable, eternal life in the deep meaning of the story. 
The Master can give neither more nor less than eternal 
life to his disciples. He gave every man a penny. 

Now, would those who have sought and found Jesus in 
early life, who have labored in the Church all their lives, 
exchange places with those who followed the prince of 
this world for many years ? When the end comes and we 
all stand before the throne shall we regret one day or one 
hour or one minute spent in doing God's work in his 
vineyard? It is true that those who remained outside, 
blind to the Master's call till life was almost over, will 
receive just the same pay in one sense, but think of all 
they missed — the sweet communion, solemn feasts, de- 
lightful labor, and daily intercourse with the Master! 
So we will not complain, nor grudge them their pay, 
though earned late, by little service. Only let us be sure 
that we are hired, and the recompense is sure to be ade- 
quate and satisfying. 

i73 




SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY. 

ILL men ever learn that the Bible 
means what it says? Modern adage 
has added its weight to the wis- 
dom of the Scriptures and assured us 
there is no use in attempting to cross 
bridges before coining to them. If 
only fear of the future, dread of com- 
ing evil, could be stricken out of life, 
much of the pain and suffering en- 
dured would be stricken out at the same time. But after 
all, there is much of pathos in this timid shrinking, which 
it cannot be denied arises from what has been endured of 
adverse fate. If "a burnt child dreads the fire," so one 
who has met and been overcome by misfortune can never 
forget the discomfiture of the sad defeat. Yet does not 
fear become a misfortune of itself ? ' Many may have read 
the old legend of how Fever appeared before the king 
and asked leave to slay a thousand victims. Permission 
was' granted him, but when the given time for his rav- 
ages to cease had arrived, ten thousand men lay dead. 
The king at once summoned Fever to his presence. 
"How is this?" he asked; "I gave consent to your con- 
quering a thousand, and lo! ten thousand men lie slain." 
"I slew but the single thousand granted me to," Fever 
replied, "but Fear killed the other nine." Even so, work 
kills a victim or two at times, but does not worry slay 
more than work? One of our religious papers revived 
recently an old saying as quaint as it is brief and simple, 
"Do the next thynge." And strive our best, that is the 
most that can be done. 

Fear and Worry stand deplorably in th>e way of many 
a Christian's progress. It would seem that in vain the 
Saviour counselled His followers to take no thought for 
the morrow, and our course too often implies doubt as to 
the truth of the assurance that the morrow shall take 
thought for -the things of itself. The concluding words 

174 



SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY 



175 



that sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof do not nec- 
essarily mean that only evil will come with the day. One 
of our most reliable commentators says with regard to 
this passage: "We shall indeed find that sufficient unto 
the day is the evil thereof, and have no need to anticipate 
pain and sorrow. We shall also find that the day will 
bring its comforts and supports with it." 

There is one verse of the Bible which promises exemp- 
tion through one strong power from much of dread and 
worry — "Perfect love casteth out fear." Fear indeed has 
torments. What spectres a timid imagination will con- 
jure up! What untold misery and depth of painful appre- 
hension a licensed fancy will create! What greater tor- 
ment need a poor mortal suffer than that which arises 
from a morbid, faithless, nervous fear of future events? 
All the teachings of Holy Writ enforce the chief need of 
human beings and point to the source of supply. Simple 
love for the Saviour, perfect love for him, a firm reliance 
on his strong, powerful arm, will disarm all fear, dispel 
all apprehension, vanquish each spectre of evil. The 
very simplicity of the remedy, Tike that once prescribed 
of old, seems to detract from its efficacy to poor, short- 
sighted man. It takes great faith, unfaltering resolution, 
and indomitable courage to meet life in a worthy, manly 
way. It requires but an unwavering belief in the Saviour 
and his precepts to realize that sufficient to each day will 
be its evils and its conflicts, its comforts and its blessings, 
but free to every soul of man is the perfect love which 
casteth out fear. 



^^^ 





A BELOVED 
DISCIPLE. 



Sea of Galilee a father 
his sons were fishing, 
night long they had 
led and had caught 
ing. They seem to 
have been men in good 
circumstances, for they were able to minister to the wants 
of the Saviour; but having been out in their boat all night 
and having taken no fish, they were weary and left off try- 
ing to catch fish, and were washing their nets. But at 
Jesus' command they took in such a draught of fishes that 
their boat began to sink. 

How like that is to ourselves in our striving so hard to 
obtain success, and when it is granted to us we do not 
know what to do with it, but cry out for help! No doubt 
John expected to be always a fisherman as his father was, 
but Jesus often has other work for us to do besides that 
which we may have chosen, and when he calls us, as he 
did call John, we must forsake all else. 
! One does not need to be old before being able to do the 
Lord's work, for John is supposed to have been the young- 
est of all the disciples, yet he was beloved. At the last 
supper, as they reclined upon their couches to eat, accord- 
ing to custom, Jesus, about to leave his disciples, told 
them that one should betray him. The Beloved Disciple, 
leaning back on Jesus' breast and looking up into the 
face which he so tenderly loved, asked, "Lord, is it I?" 
Long years afterwards, when he was grown too old to say 
much, and had lost the power to walk so that he had to 



12 



i77 



i 7 8 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



be carried to the assemblies of the people, he would reach 
forth his hands and say: "Little children, love one an- 
other;" and when they did not understand why he would 
not talk more to them, he added that if they obeyed the 
command of love they had the whole of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ. 

Are we beloved disciples? In the day that " He shall 
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver," when the jewels are 
fastened together will our souls be a part of the crown of 
rejoicing? And when the years are too heavy upon us to 
admit of our doing the Lord's work, shall we not as be- 
loved disciples spend our time talking of the love that in 
our state of life is teaching us to take our part in the new 
song that will be sung before the throne by the redeemed ? 




PUT YOUR HEART IN IT. 




HIS quality of heartiness is what makes 
all the difference between poor work 
and useful work, between what is 
real and true and what is hollow and 
superficial in the purposes and deeds 
of men. To put one's heart into 
anything means to put one's self into 
it, and when was ever anything no- 
ble, or great, or useful in the high- 
est or the lowest degree, performed 
in this world, that did not involve 
the putting in of self? The famous 
saying of one of the old masters, that he mixed his paint 
with brains, is but another way of expressing a great gen- 
eral truth, applicable to all master work, whether it be in 
painting a canvas, or writing a poem, or building a 
house. It must be done with the mixing of brains, or 
with what is the same thing, a mixing of heart, a mixing 
of self. The average man, to say the least, is not a very 
strong or a very wise or great being. Measured by the 
standard of the Infinite, his noblest endeavors are weak 
and puny beyond comparison. Measured by the standard 
of Nature's handiwork, the results of his skill and crafti- 
ness are insignificant. 

How then can a man do less than put forth the best 
there is in him, since that falls so far short of perfection? 
And this always and everywhere, whether the thing to be 
done calls for the exercise of brains or hands, whether it 
is carving a statue or digging a ditch. Heart, heart, 
heart, is what is needed for the world's work of every 
kind, be it such as is called great, or such as is termed 
menial. And most of all it is needed for spiritual work, 
for the saving of sinners, for the regeneration of men. 
Want of heart here means failure from the beginning, 
utter failure and disaster. The sermon, the prayer, the 
exhortation, the spiritual counsel, the teaching, that does 

179 



180 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



not have heart in it, the spirit of a sanctified heart, is de- 
void of the very thing that carries the sermon, the exhor- 
tation, the counsel to the consciences and souls of men. 
Words of counsel that do not come from the heart are like 
arrows made of pith; however finely formed and beauti- 
fully finished, they fail to carry to the mark; they have no 
weight, no momentum. A man may succeed very well in 
some kinds of mechanical work even though it is done in a 
listless, careless, indifferent manner, but when it comes to 
working for God, to soul-saving, there can be no success 
without the merging of the whole being in the work, the 
putting in of self. 

It is a very easy matter to shuffle over religious duties 
with a loose and careless spirit; but to work from the 
heart and with the heart in earnestness and seriousness of 
purpose, — this costs an effort. One may work, after a 
fashion, with hands or feet or brain or tongue, while the 
heart itself is engaged in matters far away, or in pursuits 
entirely foreign to those before them. But such work is 
not the best work; it is superficial; it is of little real 
value. The heart must work with the hands, or the re- 
sults will be poor and unsatisfactory, both to ourselves 
and to others who seek to benefit by them. Heart work 
demands concentration of purpose, definiteness, and single- 
ness of aim. It demands a gathering of all the energies 
into one line of action; a united effort towards one end. 
It presupposes self-control; an ability to curb vain and 
profitless thinking, and bring the mind into constant and 
serious attendance upon one thing. And this heart ser- 
vice is the only kind of service that is acceptable to God. 
We may work for others with only our hands, and receive 
our wages in due season, but if we do God's work we 
must work with the heart or there is no recompense for 
us: we shall be counted as unprofitable servants, unworthy 
of our hire. We serve a Master who " looketh upon the 
heart," who knows its secret motives and purposes, and 
all mere outward show of zeal and devotion is mockery 
in his sight. Heart work is true work, — the noblest, 
highest, and best service which man can give, and the only 
kind tv«at will insure a heavenly and eternal reward. 



CALLED AND CHOSEN, AND 
FAITHFUL. 




HESE three adjectives 
describe the character 
of Christ's followers. 
The first two belong to 
God's part and the last 
to ours. It is by a Di- 
vine call that we are 
made partakers of the 
benefits of redemption. 
The influence of the 
Spirit by which we are 
translated from the 
kingdom of darkness 
8,1 into the kingdom of 
tual world a nation or in- 
of God that which he in- 
one into his kingdom, 



light is a calling. In the spir 
dividual becomes by the call 
tends them to be. God forces no 
he compels no recruits into his army, he drives no work- 
men into his vineyard; he simply calls, sometimes very 
gently, and those who are his own obey. To all alike 
comes the call, and the only difference between a sinner 
and a saint is that one is deaf to the voice, and the other 
gladly hears and answers it. 

That God's people are not only called, but chosen, is 
to many anything but a pleasing thought, for it seems 
to them to close the door of mercy to some, perhaps to 
themselves. But God never refused any one who came to 
him for salvation; he has pledged his word that who- 
ever cometh to him shall in nowise be cast out. It is 
easy to decide whether or not we belong to the number of 
the chosen. If we love religion and spiritual things, God 
has chosen us to receive them, for unless God had given 
us that desire and that love, we would never have had 

1S1 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



them. God has chosen his people to be holy; if any one 
believes in the Lord Jesus Christ he is elect; if any one 
truly desires to leave sin and live unto God there is mercy 
in store for him. 

No decree passed in the unknown ages of eternity will 
keep any one out of heaven if he is growing in holiness, 
but without holiness no one can see the Lord. This is 
the character of the chosen ones. By patient continuance 
in well doing they seek for glory, honor, and immortality ; 
and the vast multitude now rejoicing with the Lamb bear 
witness that this is the way to obtain eternal life. 

The third characteristic of Christian followers is that 
they are faithful. This belongs to our care. Called and 
chosen we are by God, but faithfulness is the task com- 
mitted to us. To be faithful to Christ is our work. 
Many of us have made solemn vows, that are registered 
ineffaceably in heaven, to devote ourselves to him. Upon 
all of us lies the obligation to be his, whether we recognize 
it or not. Let the pulse of heavenly affection beat 
strongly and steadily in us, let our love to Jesus burn like 
the sun. As his devotion to us was unchecked by the 
indignities he endured and the agonies he suffered, by, the 
grave he entered, so let neither life nor death, nor angels, 
nor principalities, nor powers, separate us from him. Let 
this above all be our motto, faithfulness to our Master. 
Then, when he comes bringing our rewards with him, he 
will give to every man according to his work, and will 
say to those who are faithful, " Blessed are they that do 
my commandments, that they may have right to the tree 
of life and may enter in through the gates into the city." 





ONE 
RESTFUL 
DAY. 

N the midst of the mad 
rush of life, jostling at 
elbows with our fellow- 
man, hurrying hither and 
thither through every 
wakeful hour, agonizing 
to reach the goal on 
which we have fixed our 
eyes, filled with plans of 
the present and the future 
to get our daily bread, 
or grasp success in this 
venture or that, what a 
boon one restful day is! 
What is a restful day} Is it the attainment of our 
wishes, the culmination of our plans, the acme of bliss 
that follows our having placed our feet upon a pinnacle 
of happiness, the intoxication of pleasure from an over- 
flowing cup, the having wrung from possibilities the all 
but impossible success? 

Philosophers cannot give it to us; wise men of all ages 
cannot show us how to possess it. The loveliest cloudless 
day that ever dawned is not all that we crave, for if there 
were no night to follow it, we would never see the stars 
that twinkle in the sky. If we had not sailed upon the 
rough seas, we would never enjoy to the full the fair haven 
of rest. If blessings fell thick and fast, there would be 
no thankfulness for deliverance from crosses. If there 
were no planting through weary hours, there would be no 
gathering of fruit and flowers. 

The foundation of all rest comes from what is within 
ourselves. A soul satisfied of God, a heart at peace with 

183 



184 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

itself and the world, brings rest. Not only beyond the 
confines of life, not only on the other side of death the rest 
remains, it is ours now, to-day, this moment. Will not 
one restful day condone for the weary weeks of the labor 
that never seems to diminish — will not one day with Jesus 
rest us? You remember that when Moses and Elias van- 
ished there remained "Jesus only." Is anything else 
needed to bring rest ? Whether of the twain shall be given 
to us, Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? If we 
have the dear Saviour with us, if he is so near that we 
can whisper to him, — 

" Saviour, I weary of this ceaseless mind. 
That needs must spin its tangling thought, 
That needs must weave what Thou dost bring to naught, 
Rest I would find. 

" Not thoughts of Thee, but Thine ownself impart! 
Ever I learn Thy precepts and Thy way, 
Yet know not how to follow and obey. 
Teach Thou my heart." 

— what else can we need to bring rest ? Does Jesus turn 
a deaf ear to our cry does he permit us to be driven 
away ? Ah ! no, very gently the hand that was pierced for 
us is laid upon our heads, and the sweetest voice that 
angels ever heard is saying, "Peace be unto you;" and 
behold he is in the midst! 

Do we long for only one restful day? The soul that is 
satisfied is always at rest, because it has gone to the foun- 
tain and been cleansed from sin; God's will is ours; 
whatever befalls us comes from the hand of One who never 
errs; not one needless tear can fall from eyes that are 
fixed upon him; not one cross is too heavy for us to carry, 
because before it was laid upon our shoulders he measured 
it to our strength ; and then, lest it might be too heavy, 
he held the corner of it. Christian had upon his shoul- 
ders a big burden that caused him to fall into the Slough 
of Despond; but when he had climbed a hill he saw a 
cross, and when he reached the cross his burden fell off. 
Then he said, " He hath given me rest by his sorrow, 
and life by his death." So we learn that at the cross the 
burden of life falls away, and through Jesus we obtain 
life, rest, and peace. 




THE JOY OF THE MORNING. 



ACH day the sun rises in the East, and 
sends his light into every home. He does 
not seem to be stationary, as is the fact, 
but as if he came up out of a sea to come 
up higher and higher from the horizon; 
- snooting great flecks of golden splendor 
~ into every cloud, gilding the mountain 
tops, touching every leaf on the trees with 
light, and laying beauty alike upon the homes of the rich 
and the abodes of the poor. 

In yonder small house, at the corner of the lane, as 
you turn from the highway to go to the mill, a mother has 
been watching through the darkness of the night the fitful 
slumber of her sick child. As the weary hours crept on 
she felt so sad, so utterly discouraged, that it seemed as 
if hope had died in her heart; she never heard the crickets 
chirp; she gave no heed to the whirr of the night birds; 
she did not notice the fact that the wheel at the mill had 
been stopped; she forgot that to some people daylight 
was past the dawning; she never looked out to seethe 
myriads of stars in the sky; for her there was nothing but 
the blackness. There was not much in the world that she 
could call her own, but the child was hers, and its sick- 
ness made her rebellious; for the time she lost faith in 
God, her fellow-man, herself. Over the whole world there 
was cast an impenetrable pall; it was night, dark night, 
till the sun should rise in all its glory and bring forth the 
joy of the morning. 

In grander solitude a lone man sits in his prison cell; 
the walls are of stone, not so hard, though, as the hearts 
of his judges; the one window through which light and 
air could come is barred; the door is locked, and when 
he shakes it he only bruises his fingers, in his efforts to 
escape. Outside the last streak of daylight has faded, 
twilight has deepened into night, and the stars, that have 
been called the " forget-me-nots of the angels," have 

185 ' 



1 86 THE CHRISTIAN LITE. 



studded the sky. He sees them twinkle, but they only 
make the darkness more perceptible, and he paces his 
stone floor, weary of night, waiting for the morning. 

Out upon the angry sea a vessel rocks, now rolling, then 
pitching; now wave-swept, then rising as if it were a ball 
to be tossed here and there. Sad eyes look up from that 
vessel to see if it is possible that through any rift in the 
utter darkness even one ray of light may penetrate. 
But although there comes the swift thought of the little 
child who said that " if the wrong side of heaven is so 
beautiful, what must the right side be, the star-gemmed 
firmament holds no beauty for those eyes, for the stars 
are set in the darkness, and that to them means sadness, 
sorrow, despair. 

But lo! in the East there comes a light; the sun arises, 
and through the small windows of the little house in the 
lane his beams peep, transfiguring the well-worn carpet; 
and across the face of the sick baby the mother sees the 
flush of returning health, and falling upon her knees she 
breathes out earnest thanks for the joy of the morning. 
That joy floats in through the grated window of the pris- 
oner's cell ; and as he opens his anxious eyes, into them is 
cast the golden light; forthwith the new life seems to cry 
out to him to take courage, that hope is not dead, only 
sleeping ; and that before long the coveted blessing of free- 
dom will open the iron door and send him forth a free 
man. And the light beams around and over the waves 
and shows the sailor where to find a safe harbor. 

"Watchman, what of the night ?" The morning cometh. 
Are we so weary of the little self-denials, the little crosses 
which the dark side of life brings, that we cannot comfort 
ourselves as the gloaming gathers about us with the same 
thought that yet there will surely follow a bright, happy, 
God-given sunshine on the morrow ? The joy of the morn- 
ing will repay us for everything that seemed to shut out 
all hope; and beyond the river there will be the " many 
mansions, the city that hath foundations, and the Lamb 
who is the light thereof." 



OUR TENDER SHEPHERD. 




HERE are many lessons 
taught ns in nature, whose 
significance, as applied to 
Christian things, is more 
deeply impressed upon the mind than 
much that is said or written. While 
sitting upon the broad veranda of a beautiful home on the 
north shore of Long Island, this charming Sunday morn- 
ing in June, we are reminded as never before, by scores 
of sheep grazing about the fields, how frequently they 
were employed as figures to express the peculiar care 
which our Lord feels and exercises for his people. This 
symbolism is often announced with special strength, as 
if he would assure his followers that in the sacrifice he 

187 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



made he would be always the good Shepherd giving his 
life for the sheep! 

In the Eastern world, doubtless, the force of this passage 
is more clearly seen than here. We can hardly appre- 
ciate the feelings of the shepherd for his flock. Even 
though he has a vast number under his care, he knows 
every feature of every sheep. He gives names to each of 
them, and they know him, too, and come at his call, 
" whithersoever he goeth. " In danger they fly to him for 
protection, and feel safe when near him. As he would 
guard his own fireside, so he defends them, and the little 
ones, nursing the feeble and even laying them in his 
bosom as he would his own child. 

Now all this is a most apt and beautiful figure of 
Christ's care over us. It almost ceases to be a figure, 
and becomes a sweet reality when w T e think of the ex- 
ceeding force of the illustration. Does he not say, " I am 
the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known 
of mine ?" And how comforting to feel that we are of his 
flock, that he has chosen us for his own — gathered us into 
his fold — set liis mark upon us, and trained us to know 
and follow, obey and enjoy him. He is* so good to us. 
Oh, how sure we are of this! Does he not show it daily, 
hourly, yea, every moment of our lives? 

He saw us wandering far away, and came to seek and 
save us; when we were perishing took us in his arms, laid 
us in his bosom, brought us home to himself, and nurtured 
us with more than parental care ; and how he guards us 
from danger, foes within and foes without, seen and un- 
seen. Our enemies are many and mighty, and their wiles 
so deceitful that we should fall into snares and be lost, 
if the same grace that rescued us did not care for us on 
the way! 

He feeds his sheep, too! The finest of food is theirs! 
He calls them to the storehouse, and throws its doors 
wide open, to enter and be filled. He brought me into 
his banqueting house and his banner over me was love — 
his mercy to those who fear and love him will endure for- 
ever! " The good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." 
This crowns the evidence of his matchless goodness, — 
" greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his 
life for his friends!" 



OUR TENDER SHEPHERD. 189 

"But while Christ died to have us reconciled to him in 
God, how near this great condescension on his part brings 
us." What a privilege to look to him as lambs to a shep- 
herd, who will not only feed, defend, and save -his flock, 
but give up his very life for them rather than suffer one to 
be plucked out of his hand! Do we think enough of this, 
and our relationship to him, and above all, of the infinite 
obligations that rest with us? These are ties that, made 
strong and holy by his love and sacrifice, should draw 
us nearer and still nearer to his feet, causing us ever- 
more to trust in him for safety, for strength, for daily 
food, for the bread that perisneth, for the bread that 
cometh down from heaven and for life everlasting. 

Surely he is our " tender Shepherd," our great High 
Priest, our living Saviour, Prophet, King! These may be 
common metaphors, so common that we need sometimes 
to have our attention called to them, to take in their true 
significance as on the Sunday morning in question it came 
to us. If in our deep experience of life, amid the thorns 
and flowers that grow along the highway, we can only 
regard the Saviour in this light, happy will it be for each 
of us. Let us think of him as our good Shepherd, and 
of ourselves as his sheep, bearing his name, known to 
him, and following "whithersoever he leadeth" through 
this hard travel of life, which at best is short and weary, 
and gathered at last into the great fold, " to go no more 
out forever." 

" Then shall we find a settled rest, 

While others go and come, 

No more a stranger or a guest, 

But like a child at home." 




LESSONS OF THE DAY. 




®0T a day passes but into the 
mind has been borne some 
lesson either of peril, hope, 
or warning. To-day a great 
man falls, to-morrow the 
dread tidings of disaster from 
fire, flood, or accident shock 
and tire the heart with their 
oft-repeated, relentless story. 
The forces of Nature mean- 
time roll on with unperturbed 
and resistless exactitude and 
energy, and man, so far as 
his outward life is concerned, 
seems but a mere circum- 
stance of creation, subject to Nature's in- 
exorable and despotic rule. 

Of but one thing can mortals be certain: 
everything in the realm of Nature dies. 
The leaves fall, the blossom decays, and in 
process of time the tree itself suffers blight 
and death. But in the Spring the great 
lesson of life's renewal is taught. The sun 
grows warmer day by day, the frost is ooz- 
ing from the softened, expectant earth, and 
already in the country the moss is show- 
ing green and fresh close to the bosom of 
old Mother Earth. The pussy-willows are 
sprouting gray and furry on the parent 
stem, and very soon the green grass and 
cheery little crocus will refresh the eye with 
their glad appearing. Progression becomes the order of 
the day, and ere long, responding to Nature's irresistible 

190 




LESSONS OF THE DAY. 191 



call, field, orchard, and garden will burst into spontaneous 
bloom. In the garden will be certain plants on which 
special care has been bestowed. By dint of ceaseless nur- 
ture and patient cultivation a degree of culture is reached, 
making the stately rose-tree a very marvel of loveliness 
amid the other beauties of the rose-bed. And as with 
the plants, so with the human mind in its superior growth 
and intelligence. 

The question has often been raised as to whether or not 
there are degrees in heaven, places to which the soul 
attains at once on entering, having been fitted for such 
placing while on earth. Pray, how could it be otherwise! 
A great soul has just gone forth from the midst of us. The 
eloquent preacher, the powerful orator, the best type of 
a representative American citizen of ripe scholarship and 
advanced age, has passed on to fulness of life, the life ever- 
lasting. What incalculable heights of bliss and spiritual 
advancement is that soul capable of entering upon and 
appreciating now ! Is it not worth while making all pos- 
sible progress while on earth, that the greater may be the 
capacity of the soul for the enjoyment of the delights of 
heaven ? 

At the appointed time the inexorable decree of Nature 
asserts itself and the body suffers decay even as the grass 
or the flower of the field, but what matters it that the 
shell crumbles back to earth while the soul lives on to 
countless ages of — what ? 

Ay, that is the great question for each to determine for 
himself. But how piteously the great consideration is 
overlooked and evaded. Moses, the servant of God, de- 
ploring the indifference of the people of his charge con- 
cerning these things, exclaimed: " O that they were wise, 
that they understood this, that they would consider their 
latter end!" For the end is but the beginning. When 
the harvest, which is the end of the world, shall come, 
the spring-time of the soul is at hand. Heed the lesson 
of the day. Strive $0 to live that at the last it may be 
said of us as of a wise man lately departed, " a great soul 
has entered into eternal life." The true life has just 
begun. 



EVERY-DAY CHRISTIAN LIEE. 




T is our every-day life that reveals 

exactly what kind- of Christians 

we are. We cannot always form 

a proper estimate of Christian 

character by seeing others now 

and then, or passing a day or two 

in their society at intervals. We 

are generally thrown into the 

society of friends upon pleasant 

occasions. We meet them upon 

life's holidays oftener than in the 

usual routine of daily duties. We 

greet them upon social occasions 

when they are prepared to meet us 

with pleasant words and loving 

smiles. 

It is easy then to smile and speak kindly. It is easy to 

wear a cheerful look when the burden and task are put 

away from them, and when free from the influences that 

chafe and fret the body and soul. 

Divine grace is not always required upon occasions 
like this to win the good opinion and approval of others. 
There is often enough natural goodness about human be- 
ings to bring to the surface of their lives those genial 
graces which charm other eyes and win the respect and 
confidence of those with whom they come in contact. But 
these can scarce hold good in the every-day life. Divine 
grace alone can sustain the soul when the burden is heavy, 
and care and troubles appear at every step. There is not 
enough moral strength in the natural heart to sustain it 
when the body is weary, and the poor w T eak arms are 
just ready to let fall the burden. 

When trial, discouragement, and disaster all combine to 

192 



EVERY -DAY CHRIST/ AX LIFE. 



193 



render the life-path dreary, then the blessed faith in Christ 
alone can hold those unpleasant influences in check, and 
still the troubled waters. With the abiding Comforter in 
the soul, it is as easy to smile and appear cheerful in ad- 
verse circumstances as for the worldling to be happy in 
the hours of peace and prosperity. 

It is this every-day life that builds up our Christian 
character. If we overcome the daily annoyances we grow 
strong and heroic, and it soon becomes, if not a pleasant, 
at least a cheerful, task to do, bear, and suffer. The service 
of Christ is one that grows lighter and more pleasant 
as the years go by. It never galls or inflicts needless 
wounds upon those who are engaged in it. 

It is this that exerts a lasting influence over the world. 
It is this that tests the value of religion, and proves to 
others that it is pure gold, and not a mere profession. It 
weighs and measures the golden treasure in a way which 
proves its great worth, and the sceptic himself stands con- 
founded and silenced. 




PERFECT TRUST. 




with 
pose. 



MOTHER was awakened in 
the still, small hours of the 
night by the touch of her lit- 
tle boy's hand. He said, 
"Mamma, I don't know what 
is the matter; I can't sleep, 
and I've tried ever so long." 
She took him up, laid his head upon 
her breast, and folded his hands in 
hers; in a few moments he was sleeping 
the sweet sleep of happy childhood. 
Mother's embrace and touch of hand, 
his implicit confidence, brought re- 
I wonder why we grown-up, restless, 
faulty children cannot in our troubles cast 
ourselves thus confidingly into the "everlasting arms." 
It cannot be that we doubt God's ability to care for us, for 
we know that he is omnipotent and able to do all things. 
It is not that we doubt his love, for every day evidences 
that, and we have his word that though the mother may 
forget her child, yet his love will never fail us. It must 
be our unreasonable want of trust, whereas we should ever 
feel perfect confidence in our Father. 

The way may be dark, the body , very weary, and the 
feet sore from the thorns in the path, still we should re- 
member that all our trials are disciplinary — no atonement 
through suffering is worked out by us, but by our sorrows 
our characters are rounded, polished, and perfected. This 
trustfulness of little children should often reveal a 
loving Father to us, even in this world, and when " the 
leaves of the judgment book unfold," how clear will be the 
revelation — all in love. 







194 



OUR OLD ENEMIES. 




E lift up our eyes 
and see our old 
enemies, like 
sly, crafty foxes, 
pursuing our 
footsteps. We 
shall assuredly 
find no help 
or mercy in 
the direction of 
the pursuing 
enemy, but the 
outlook is full of 
hope if we only 
glance i n the 
right direction. 
Moses told the 
Israelites that 
they should see 
no more again forever the enemies who were pursuing 
them. That blessed assurance will come to us some day. 
It may not be now, nor to-morrow, nor for weeks nor 
months, but some day, constant resistance will bring us 
the consciousness that our easily besetting sin is dead, 
that it has lost its hold upon us forever. Where is our 
strength? Behind us are the hosts of sin; our strength 
surely is not there. We gauge our own puny strength and 
wisdom, it is insufficient; we look upon ourselves and see 
how weak we are, but when we cease to look at our 
enemies and ourselves and lift our eyes above, there 
moves the angel of our deliverance, none other than Jesus. 
When we hear the tramping of temptation and the discords 



i9 6 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

of warring elements, the angel of the Lord moves behind 
us and comes between us and the enemy. 

The chosen Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, and so 
are many of God's chosen ones. The state of Israel in 
Egypt was one of severest depression; at every point they 
were overborne and were under the lash of a tyrant ; if 
their manhood tried to rise and assert itself, a blow in the 
face was the response. This is the condition of those who 
are in a state of sin. Some of God's freemen have been 
many years under the lash of Satan; they may boast of 
their liberty and think themselves free, but sin is slavery 
and continual oppression. At last the children of Is- 
rael escaped from Pharaoh, and by a strong hand and a 
stretched-out arm God delivered them. Suddenly they 
turned to look behind them, and behold the Egyptians 
were after them, their old enemies were close upon their 
heels. This is just the experience of Christians; old 
enemies pursue them, years of sin are behind them, and 
old associations are hard to break. Satan is close behind 
them, making special efforts to reclaim them as his own. 

We ought not to expect to escape from all our enemies 
at once; one cannot throw off his past as he would throw 
off an old garment. Old slaveries, old tyrannies, old 
recollections, old habits will assert themselves in one 
way or another. It is more than a step from sin to holi- 
ness, it is a long way from evil to goodness, from dark- 
ness to light, from the depths of nature to the highest 
attainments of grace. There will be many a struggle, 
many a reappearance of the old self. Judas was cast down 
in the dust by his sin and there he stayed. Peter fell as 
deeply, but looked at Christ and rose again. So every 
true Christian will rise stronger than before, and look 
more at Christ and less at self. It is our chief est blessing, 
that we have not a human judge to stand before. God 
does not expect us to step from Egypt direct to his throne; 
he leads us through the Red Sea and the wilderness and 
the long wanderings and daily discipline, but he only asks 
that at each day's close we should be a little stronger, a 
little nearer, a little more devoted. 

Like the Israelites we are in a wilderness; but ours is a 
wilderness of sin. We have left Egypt, but not yet 
gained Canaan; we have had long and bitter experience 



i9 8 THE CHRIST! AX LITE. 



of sin, and it has made us weak; we have been under a 
powerful and remorseless enemy who has never spared us, 
but has been very severe with us, but we have been re- 
deemed by a gracious and Omnipotent Saviour, and so 
though our old enemies are pursuing us as if they would 
never give us up as long as there remains a single chance 
of winning us back to their old allegiance, we are safe if 
we look unto Jesus and lean upon his strength. 

While we remember the fact that our own enemies are 
still pursuing us, let us not be uncharitable and censorious 
to others who are just beginning the Christian life. Let 
us remember that they have just escaped the grasp of their 
enemies, so it is not strange if now and then, in spite of 
their best efforts, they are overtaken and fall. There are 
always people ready to condemn and crush them. There 
are thousands of men who never notice the stars swinging 
in order and beauty in their appointed places, who do 
stop and mark the falling star. There are many who pass 
over a hundred moral victories without a word of praise, 
who glory over one fault. Because a Christian cannot 
step from the world to heaven, they exaggerate and hold 
up to criticism every fault, all that is unworthy a Chris- 
tian, and exult over it, forgetting that old enemies do not 
bid a new-born soul Godspeed in the way to heaven, but 
pursue them hotly even after they have started out towards 
the promised land. 




MORAL BEAUTY. 




IRTUE, wisdom, and goodness, 
those graces of character which 
constitute moral beauty, like the 
loadstone, never lose their power 
of attraction. The beauty that 
shines forth from a pure and 
sweet-tempered Christian soul far 
transcends, in all those qualities 
which command and hold a wor- 
thy admiration, the transient 
charm of mere outward adorn- 
ment either of nature or art. 

Purity of life and character is 
one of the essentials of this type 
of loveliness. Good thoughts, 
good motives, good companion- 
ships, are the influences that help 
to mould the mind into a form of 
Evil companionships frequently 
lead to an impure heart — a foul and diseased imagination 
that discovers itself in the outward features, in spite 
of all that art or skilful dissimulation can do. There is 
nothing more repulsive or hideous than a corrupt, sin- 
disfigured character brought into sharp contrast by the 
weak, shallow disguises of outward show and gaudy attire. 
Meekness, patience, kindness, charitableness, a self- 
denying spirit — these are the vestments of the highest 
type of beauty — the kind which commands not only the 
admiration of the best of men, but is admired by God 
himself. 

" Beautiful faces they, that wear 
The light of a pleasant spirit there, 
It matters little, if dark or fair." 
199 



real and lasting: beauty 




WHAT ARE WE DOING? 




T is a very serious question, and 
one which we should often ask 
ourselves, What are we doing, 
you and I, for the dear Saviour 
who has redeemed us, bought us 
with his blood, paid such a price 
for us ? If we can only give a 
.cup of cold water to one of his 
little ones, if given in his name, 
it is something for him. Said an 
aged disciple: 

" I have reached the borderland 
• ■ »■ and am only waiting for the sum- 

^-^aXBHUm mons to meet my Lord. As I look 

about me to-night I see new faces, 
few, I was about to say, for there 
is only here and there one face that met with us in 
this place of prayer fifty years ago — ay, twenty-five 
years — and how many changes even in ten ! The nearer 
we live to the dear Lord the more he will show us, if we 
ask him what we can do for him, and I must say from my 
experience that none ask in vain. 

200 



WHAT ARE WE DOIXG 



20I 



" If you really wish to do something for the dear Lord he 
will show you how and when to do it. He will teach 
you to speak a loving word of comfort to some weary pil- 
grim, footsore, struggling on in life's journey through toil 
and hardship; or to give of your substance as he hath 
prospered you in furtherance of the cause of Christ. But 
withal do not forget to implore the blessings of the dear 
Lord on all your efforts, and you may be certain he will 
be sure to hear and answer your prayers. Try it and 
prove it; you will find it true." 

Few who heard Father Payson's remarks that evening 
ever forgot them or his appearance as he stood like one 
of the patriarchs of old leaning on his staff. The very 
next morning as the day was dawning the village church 
bell tolled for one of eighty years. The news soon spread 
far and wide that Father Payson was dead. When they 
went to call him in the morning his Bible lay open on the 
stand by his bedside, his spectacles lay on the open page, 
but Father Payson " was not, for God took him." 




NO GOD." 




HE celebrated astronomer 
Kircher, having an ac- 
quaintance who denied 
the existence of God, took 
the following method to 
convince him of his error. 
He procured a very hand- 
some globe, or representa- 
tive of the starry heavens, 
which he placed in a 
corner of the room to at- 
tract his friend's observa- 
tion, who, when he came, 
asked from whence it came and to whom it belonged. 

"Not to me," said Kircher; "nor was it ever made by 
any person, but came here by mere chance." 

"That," replied his sceptical friend, " is absolutely im- 
possible. You surely jest." 

Kircher, however, seriously persisting in his assertion, 
took occasion to reason with his friend on his own atheis- 
tical principles. 

"You will not believe," said he, "that this small body 
originated in mere chance, and yet you would contend 
that those heavenly bodies, of which it is but a faint re- 
semblance, came into existence without order or design." 
Pursuing this train of reasoning, his friend was at first 
confounded, next convinced, when he cordially confessed 
the absurdity of denying the existence of a God. 

To a thoughtful mind it seems incredible that any in- 
telligent human being could deny the existence of our 
King of Kings, could refuse, dare refuse to do him hom- 
age. What but omnipotent power could plan and keep in 
motion such a world as ours? While I am writing it is 
winter. Looking out of my window I see snow and ice, 
the leafless trees in their cold shrouds; but is this picture 

202 



NO GOD." 



203 



to continue ? Ah, no! the ice and snow will pass away 
when the Spring comes with its balmy breath. The trees 
will bud and blossom, the grass will spread its velvet 
mantle, the buttercups and daisies will spring up by the 
wayside, and the violets in the meadows. The streams will 
be loosened from their frosty prison, the birds will sing 
their songs of thanksgiving, the browsing cattle will lap 
the clear water from the running brook. Everywhere 
will be life and growth and beauty; did it all come by 
chance? Truly it is only the fool who hath said in his 
heart, " No God," for to prove it, one would need to be 
himself a god and to travel abroad over the surrounding 
universe till he had exhausted it. He must search back- 
ward through all the hidden recesses of eternity; traverse 
in every direction the plains of infinitude; he must 
sweep the outskirts of that space which is itself in- 
terminable, and then bring back to this little world of 
ours the report of a universal blank, wherein he had not 
met with one movement of a presiding God. For man not 
to know of a God, he has only to sink beneath the level 
of our common nature, but to deny him, he must be a 
god himself; he must arrogate the ubiquity and omni- 
science of God himself. 





CAUSE AND EFFECT. 

OU stand beside some great artist as he 
paints. Every color glows, every line 
is alive, every touch is true, and under 
his skilful hand the canvas becomes a 
counterpart of nature and the land- 
scape stands out in wonderful perspec- 
tive. You wonder at his skill which 
prevents all mistakes and makes the 
picture true in every detail; you could 
not do it, nor could he, if he painted for the first time. 
The skill he exhibits is a sum total, the effect of a long 
series of causes. It began years ago in the schoolroom, 
and from that it has grown until the present. Let us 
watch the effect of wrong-doing. A young man takes 
an intoxicating draught. It is a simple act and may not 
be attended with any very serious results in the present ; 
but that act is a cause, and every cause will have its 
effect. We would not consign him to degradation and a 
nameless grave now, but the probability is that that cause 
will act until in after-years the strength of manhood will 
break under the burden of disease, the open, cheerful 
countenance will become the bloated face, the free, spring- 
ing step will give way to a swagger, and the bright, quick 
intellect will become beclouded and dull. 

Let us look at the effect of goodness. One has faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ and in the reality of spiritual 
things; he is shaping his life on the great principles 
which the one perfect model laid down; and who can 
doubt but that such a one will become a son of God and 
enter into an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that 
fadeth not away ? 

Causes produce their own effects, legitimate effects, and 
as one sows, so he shall reap. As travellers are descend- 
ing through the pass of St. Bernard they are cautioned by 
the guide not to utter a single word, as the very vibration 
of the voice may loosen some part of the overhanging snow, 

204 



CAUSE AND EFFECT. 



205 



which will result in an avalanche, sweeping everything be- 
fore it. Who would think of an effect so formidable from 
a cause so small? The voice loosens only a small piece 
of snow, but that in falling becomes a cause for a larger 
fall, until the glacier is moved and the mountain is shaken 
to its foundation by the avalanche. Who can tell what 
moral effect a single word may have? It is a cause which 
starts a series of causes, and thus progressing the effect 
becomes tremendous. But few pay any regard to such 
effects ; they seem such a long way off that they cannot 
affect us, and yet they are the most serious things in the 
universe. However indifferent we may be, these causes 
are at work and will bring about their results. Beware 
what causes you set in motion, lest the effects bring you 
and others life-long sorrow! 




GOD'S OMNISCIENCE. 




ONG ago when our Saviour was upon 
earth it was said of him that he 
needed not that any should testify 
of man, for he knew what was in 
man. How wonderful a thing is 
this part of God's omniscience! 
It is a knowledge at once to us sad 
and joyful. It is so far from being 
possessed by man that it cannot 
even be said that we know our- 
selves, much less any human being 
around us. Much often depends 
upon our knowing the motives, the 
hidden springs of action, the sincerity and real purpose 
of another. How differently we would act sometimes if 
we could really see below the surface, and know what is 
in man. All are not what they seem! Some wear masks, 
sometimes over their faces, and more often over their 
hearts; it is universal experience as well as an inspired 
declaration that "the heart is deceitful above all things." 
It would be a great amount of knowledge to see all of a 
man's actions, to tear aside the veil from the hours when 
he is alone, to note every motion and attitude, and leave 
no part of his life unaccounted for. Simply to know all 
external acts in every moment of life would be knowledge 
far beyond human capacity, and yet it would hardly begin 
the real knowledge of the man. Perhaps not a hundredth 
part of a man's character ever takes outward form, and 
what is in man is an unexplored realm. It includes all 
the past history of the race and encompasses all the 
future: it enters into every detail and takes account of 
every day, every position, and every circumstance. Only 
the omniscient One knows all that is in man, and it is 

206 



GOD'S OMXISCIEXCE. 



207 



worse than folly to attempt to hide anything from his all- 
seeing eyes. 

Our past life has been full of sin; he knows it better 
than we do. Why try to hide it? Why not rather tell it 
to him and gain his pardon? We can be sure that we 
tell our story in an appreciative ear when we whisper it to 
Jesus, for as very man as well as very God he know r s what 
is in man. He knows and pities; he knows and saves. 




THE FATHER'S WAY. 



AVE you a heavenly Father — is 
there a Being to whom you can 
go as children go to a parent, 
and with the simplicity of a little 
child of whom the Saviour said, 
" Suffer them to come" — can you 
look up, though it may be with 
tearful eyes, and say, " Father, 
not my will, but Thine?" Do 
you feel that no matter what hap- 
pens, no matter what is contrary 
to your desires, no matter how 
untoward circumstances may be, 
you can still love the hand that 
smites? Even when the chastening for the present seem- 
eth to be grievous, can you still say, " Not my will, but 
Thine?" 

Life under such circumstances becomes all peace, and 
contentment, and satisfaction. Though seas of trouble are 
rough, and sometimes threaten to engulf you; although 
your roses with their perfume carry many thorns ; although 
the sun smites your gourds; although the almond-tree shall 
fail, the grasshopper become a burden, and desire shall 
cease; yet you can still cry out aloud, " I desire to be, to 
have, to know nothing, but what is best; all that I desire 
to have is only what is according to the Father's way." 

208 





THE WAY OF PEACE 



14 



GOD'S CRUCIBLE. 




E cry out sometimes in agony when 
we see our beloved ones cast into 
the crucible of trial. How can 
God do so? we question, in doubt- 
ing sorrow. Let us comfort our 
hearts by believing that it is 
enough that he does put this griev- 
ous burden upon them, and that it 
will only work for good. 

" I want to take that likeness home with 
me," said a lady to an artist. " But, madam," 
he expostulated, " it is out of the question; it 
is not yet finished." "Not finished!" in sur- 
prise. " Why, what more can you do to it ?" 
she asked, looking at the lovely pictured face of one of 
her darlings. "Ah," he said, "it must be touched and 
retouched before I shall allow it to leave my studio." 

It is so with God — the divine artist. To us our 
friends — some of them at least — may seem to be perfect, 
but the Omniscient knows they are not. He will not rest, 
nor allow them to rest, until they are " refined" unto' the 
utmost limit of which they are capable. 

" Great Master! touch us with Thy skilful hand, 
Let not the music that is in us die. 
Great Sculptor! hew and polish us ; nor let, 
Hidden and lost, Thy form within us lie. 
Spare not the stroke ; do with us as Thou wilt ; 
Let there be naught unfinished, broken, maimed ; 
Complete Thy purpose, that we may become 
Thy perfect image, O our God and Lord." 
210 




FULL AND FREE FORGIVENESS. 




HERE are shrinking, 
introspective natures, 
who must always look 
back upon sins com- 
mitted, remorsefully 
regarding them as de- 
termining the final 
estate of the soul. 
They are so consti- 
tuted that they never 
can, of their own 
selves, without help, 
see the absolution 
offered freely and fully from the Father upon repentance. 
It may be the result of an unbalanced mind, or of peculiar 
circumstances, or of defects in training, but there are those 
who thus sit in sackcloth all their days — the wine of life 
turned to poison, the energies of mind and heart rusted, life 
not worth living, sorrowing always over the past. 

To deal rightly with one in such a condition, the priest 
of absolution must be wise and true and tender, having 
his hand, as it were, upon the key-note of the Father's 
love and justice, and being informed by an experience, 
personal and deep. He must possess an unerring spiritual 
insight, and, while tender and sympathetic, must be a 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



surgeon for the soul that will not allow the searching 
probe to stop short of the bottom of the diseased spot. 

There are some natures so constituted as to make them 
in the highest sense priests of absolution. A true mother, 
with insight sharpened by love, and with sympathies kept 
alert for her child's needs, when she gathers the weeping 
penitent one to her heart and whispers, " Dry your tears 
and think no more about it. You are sorry, I have for- 
given you, and I am sure God, who is even more kind and 
sympathetic than I, forgives you too " — she perhaps is the 
highest type of this priest. Those of us who have thus 
received absolution, do we not think so ? It is a great 
blessing to thus possess this rare gift of leading repentant, 
despairing souls so close to the Master that they may 
touch his garment and feel conscious of his forgiving 
power. 




LITTLE SINS. 




'OST men who fail to obtain salva- 
tion are brought into a state 
of misery by prevaricating with 
themselves, and not living up 
to the judgment and resolves 
of their own knowledge. They 
miss their way to heaven, not 
because they do not know it, but 
because they know it and do not 
heed it. They deceive themselves by some 
false hope; they are allured here and there 
by some shadowy form of doctrine or belief 
that offers nothing better to them in their 
hour of bitter extremity than blank despair 
and unavailing regret. How many fly in the face of their 
convictions of right and duty simply because they think 
that somehow in the future the wrong will be atoned, and 
they will escape the punishment justly due them for their 
folly and impiety. They run blindly toward destruction, 
thinking that somehow God's restraining grace will in- 
terpose to save them before they reach the fatal hour 
that hurls them from time into eternity. "Surely," they 
say within themselves," this is a little thing/' And then 
the downward course begins. The " little things" grow 
to be great things, and what was at first a slight swerving 
from the path of rectitude becomes a wide divergence. 
The self-deceiving power of sin — how it blinds men's eyes 
to their own highest and truest and best interests! promis- 
ing them bread and giving them a stone; mocking them 
at last with the pangs of remorse, and the accusations of a 
conscience whose warnings they have so long ignored. Let 
every one consider the truth of the words: "Be not de- 
ceived; God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth 
that shall he also reap." 

213 




CROWNS. 




t ROWNS or garlands were given to the suc- 
cessful competitors at the Grecian games. 
These were made of parsley, pine, and oak, 
and although they soon perished they were 
highly prized by those who gained them. 
Our Saviour was crowned with thorns in 
mockery by the Roman soldiers, an especial 
insult. It is said that the Spina Christi, 
although abundant in the neighborhood of 
Jerusalem, cannot be the plant of which it 
was composed, because its thorns are so 
strong and large that it could not have been 
woven into a wreath. Probably some thorny 
shrub is meant; possibly, and we think quite 
likely, it may be the Arabian nubk, whose round branches 
are flexible and pliant, and can easily be woven into a 
crown and whose sharp thorns inflict painful wounds. In 
color this resembles the triumphant ivy-wreath; and 
that would add to its ironical purpose. 

For us there remains a crown of glory which, unlike that 
of the winner of the race, fadeth not away. Our race may 
endure for a long time, but at the end, if we keep our eyes 
fixed upon the goal, which is heaven, we shall receive the 
crown of life which the Lord hath promised to those 
who love him. 

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a 
crown of life." 

214 



WHAT IS REST? 




a book of Persian 
tales there is a 
beautiful legend 
about Rabbi Judah 
and his brethren, 
who, as the seven 
pillars of wisdom, 
sat one day in the 
Court of the Tem- 
ple at Jerusalem 
disputing about 
rest. One said 
that it was to have 
attained sufficient 
flocks and herds, 
yet without sin. 
The second, that it 
was fame and 
praise of all men. The third, that it was possession of 
power to rule the state. The fourth, that it consisted 
only in a happy home. The fifth, that it must be in the 
old age of one who is rich, powerful, famous, surrounded 
by children and children's children. The sixth said that 
all were vain unless a man keep the ritual law of Moses. 
And Rabbi Judah, the venerable, the tallest of the broth- 
ers, said, "Ye have all spoken wisely, but one thing more 
is necessary. He only can find rest who to all things 
addeth this: that he keepeth the tradition of the elders." 
There sat in the Court a fair-haired boy, playing with 
some lilies in his lap, and, hearing the talk, he dropped 
them with astonishment from his hands, and looking 
up said,-" Nay, nay, fathers: he only findeth rest who 
loveth his brother as himself, and God with his whole 
heart and soul. He is greater than fame, and wealth, 
and power; happier than a happy home, happy without 
it, better than honored age; he is a law to himself, and 
above tradition." The doctors were astonished. They 
said: "When Christ cometh, shall he tell us greater 
things?" And they thanked God, for they said: "The 
old men are not always wise, yet God be praised that 
out of the mouth of this little one has his praise become 
perfect." 

215 



MY PRESENCE SHALL GO WITH 
THEE." 




HAT a comfort this is! No 
burden is too heavy if we 
are thus favored. No disci- 
plinary tests will fail to 
produce their intended ben- 
No schemes of evil, though 
formed against us with consum- 
mate skill, will succeed. More than 
this, God's presence with His people 
is an infallible sign of the truth 'of 
religion. 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit 
upon a church is, for this reason, the 
most effectual means of exterminating 
all forms of infidelity and vice in the 
community. Moses said, " Wherein 
shall it be known here that I and thy 
people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that 
thou goest with us?" 

How are we to live so that this benign, invisible 
presence will evermore be our portion? This question 
has but one answer, namely, the voluntary and habitual 
exercise of believing prayer. The Psalmist said, "I 
have set the Lord always before me : because He is at 
my right hand, I shall not be moved." 




216 



PLANNING AND DOING. 




VERY ONE knows there 
is a very wide differ- 
ence between planning 
and doing, but how few 
gain practical wisdom 
from the knowledge! 
One rises in the morn- 
ing after a night of re- 
freshing sleep, and in 
the fresh vigor gained 
from the rest makes great 
plans that are to be car- 
ried out before the 
shades of night gather 
once more over him. 
Yesterday just as many 
plans were made, just as 
great things were to be 
accomplished, but 
-ah! but they were not done. The plans of to-day 
will be just as ill-matured, and those of to-morrow will 
follow in like manner. 

The young are ever hopeful ; they sneer at the idea that 
they may be unable to do great things. What if they had 
thought to accomplish more than was possible; life is 
long and life is gay, and to-morrow will do just as well; 
the blossoms of to-day fall, but the buds will be blossoms 
to-morrow, and perhaps far more beautiful ; and if they 
do not bloom with to-morrow's sun there is the next 
day, and time enough. Hope may not be quite so 
reckless in middle age, but hope still lives. The farmer 
plants his seed to-day to reap it in one of the to-morrows, 
and he does it. The merchant, the man of business, the 
head of the house — they are all alike, sowing to reap, 
over and over again. 

It is pretty much the same with the Christian. He 
sees a little corner of the Lord's vineyard that needs to 
be cultivated, and he says in God's name that he will do 

217 



then- 



2i8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



it; but does he do it — does he not plan without perform- 
ing? Was not his plan formed in an idle, careless way, 
without feeling the great wrong of which he is guilty in 
not doing all he can to pay the vows he has made? Do 
we realize what we are doing when we deal thus with the 
dear Lord who is so patient with us, when we promise so 
much and perform so little? 

After the heyday of life comes old age, and how differ- 
ent all is then! The" days become so short, the noon-day 
sun comes so soon after the dew of morning, and in the 
twinkling of an eye the evening stars are shining. There 
is less planning and more doing then, but the " keepers 
of the house" begin to tremble, the grasshopper is a bur- 
den, and the "years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I 
have no pleasure in them." How we shall regret if we 
have then been only hearers and not doers of the Word. 
Lost opportunities will then rise up before the mental 
vision, and on how many possibilities to do God's will 
the door will have been shut! If we have been up and 
doing it will be only a blessed waiting. 

" Only waiting till the reapers 

Have the last sheaf gathered home; 
For the summer-time has faded, 

And the autumn winds have come. 
Quickly, reapers! gather quickly, 

All the ripe hours of my heart; 
For the bloom of life is withered, 

And I hasten to depart." 




NOT OUR OWN. 




N Eastern allegory runs thus: 
A merchant, going abroad for 
a time, gave respectively to 
two of his friends two sacks of 
wheat each, to take care of 
against his return. Years 
passed: he came back, and 
applied for them again. The 
first took him into his store- 
house and showed them to 
him; but they were mildewed 
and worthless. The other led 
him out into the open country, 
and pointed out field after field 
of waving corn, the produce 
of the two sacks given him. 
How frequently striking contrasts similar to the above 
are presented to our view! Two who have started out 
with equal abilities, one content to let his talents lie idle, 
the other resolved to produce as large a harvest as pos- 
sible ; one, after years, can show over his barren talents 
"nothing but leaves;" the other with glowing gratitude 
can point to ripened grain and luscious fruit, and can 
look forward to the appreciative words of commendation, 
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 

It is a common mistake for people who have but one 
talent to think that, because they only have one, they are 
justified in folding it in a napkin. If only one, we are 
required to cultivate it, and it often brings forth fruit a 
thousandfold. It is not the number but the use of talents 
that fills the world with blessing. From a single dollar 
actively employed princely fortunes have sprung. The 
feeble shout of a tiny child has saved the thundering 
train from wreck, and snatched a hundred souls from 

219 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



death. In all lands the widows' mites have filled God's 
treasuries. He who will do nothing until he can do a 
great thing will never do anything. Krummacher tells 
of a countryman, the owner of great estates, noted for his 
wisdom and prudence, who was obliged to go on a jour- 
ney for several months. He called his son, and gave him 
charge of all till his return. The youth was dismayed at 
the task, but his father bade him farewell and departed. 
The youth undertook the work with much fear, but 
took courage and said, " My father hath confided it to 
me; therefore I must fulfil my work." So he wrought 
vigorously and improved gr*eatly. After many months 
the father returned and found the estates, the flocks and 
herds all in good order; and the fame of his son spread 
through all the country. Then the father praised the 
good management of his son. The son said, " But, my 
father, what if I had had ill success?" The father smiled 
and said, " I knew your abilities, but you did not know 
them. I wished to give you self-reliance; therefore I 
demanded a great thing of you. You were a youth; but 
now you have become a man." 

Our Father has demanded great things of us. Better 
than any human friend he knows our abilities, and will 
judge accordingly. He has given them to us to be used, 
and we are to remember that we are not only to enjoy our 
own talents but see that they are used for others. 

"Talents are seeds by heaven's good gift bestowed 
To render back their incense unto God. 
Talents are deeds to do, or duties done, 
Whate'er their number be, five, two, or one. 
As is their use, so is their worth; 
As is the impulse given 
They wither here upon the earth, 
Or ripen here for heaven." 



RESTRAINING GRACE. 




E know not how sinful 
we might be, what 
wicked crimes we 
might commit, but for 
grace of God re- 
straining us. But we 
sometimes seem to 
forget this ; w e 1 o o k 
about us and see mis- 
ery ,-oftentimes the re- 
sult of wrong-doing as 
well as of ignorance, 
and read daily of crimes too horrible to be 
mentioned; feelings of pity sometimes min- 
gle with the sense of justice in the punish- 
ment of the criminal ; but how many of us 
ever realize why it is that we differ from 
the very worst, and who has made us to 
differ; or that we might be as bad as any, 
except for God's restraining grace? 

In the earlier history of the Bible we read 
that the Lord himself appeared to one man, 
who was about to commit a great crime, 
and said, " I also withheld thee from 
sinning against me;" and we may call to 
mind many instances where God's people 
were prevented, in a remarkable manner, from doing 
what would have been harmful and sinful, as well as led 
to do that which was right. 

In the New Testament our Saviour said to his impetuous, 
erring, wilful disciple: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; 

221 




THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." This 
is perhaps one of the chief arguments in favor of a special 
Providence, which so many in this day seem to ignore, 
and even pretend to disbelieve — an overruling, guiding 
Hand, which not only leads us in the right path, but puts 
hindrances in the way to prevent us from doing the wrong 
thing. 

To the earnest reader of the Bible no other argument is 
needed; its pages are full of special providences, and it 
is a comforting thought that we may ask for, and expect 
not only to have grace and strength for daily duties and 
trials, but deliverance from evil; and even with the 
temptations that must assail us, there will be provided a 



way of escape, so that we 
against God. "But for all 
saith the Lord;" so let us 
Divine guidance and grace, 



may be kept from sinning 
this, I will be inquired of, 
see to it that we seek the 
and then if we are withheld 



from sin, and there is any good thing in us, let us give 
God the glory, and say with Paul ; " By the grace of God 
I am what I am." 




UNDER SEALED ORDERS. 




GOVERNMENT vessel was about 
to leave the dock, to sail away for 
some unknown port. No one knew 
her destination, whether it was to 
be near by or far away. Those 
who had loved ones on board felt 
sad and anxious. Were these loved 
ones to be within reach of cheering 
words, of letters full of love and 
encouragement, or were they to be 
sent afar to some foreign port from 
which no word would come in weary weeks and months? 
This question could be asked many and many a time, but 
there was no echo to the words, no answer to be had. The 
ship was to sail under sealed orders ; orders from the Navy 
Department, sealed by the Government seal that could 
not be opened until it was far out at sea, and away from 
all possible communication with the land. 

The Captain of our salvation sends us away on sealed 
instructions. Whither? You do not need to know. You 
might not like your destination; you might object to the 
buffeting waves; the billows of trouble might threaten to 
wreck your soul; the harbor might be hard to reach and 
the rocks of danger might lie between you and it. Do 
you care? Does it matter to you if the passage is a 
stormy one when you know that safety is at the end? that 
the Father is at the helm, and that he neither slumbers 
nor sleeps? Therefore take courage, and whether you 
find yourself in storm or sunshine, by day or by night, go 
forth boldly under " sealed orders." Let the peace of God 
that passeth understanding abide with you, and rest confi- 
dently in the full assurance that God knows and cares for 
his own. 




223 




WAITING ON THE LORD. 



RE you praying to-day, Christian reader, 
for the conversion of the world and the 
well-being of your own soul, and do you 
believe that prayer will be answered? 
Then you must not rest in your belief 
after a few feeble petitions, but follow 
always, day and night, the command of 
the Psalmist: "Wait on the Lord: be of 
good courage, and he shall strengthen 
thy heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." It 
will not do simply to pray occasionally, once a day or once 
a week, whenever you think of it. You must be waiting on 
the Lord with your soul full of importunate pleading, 
hour after hour, day after day, for weeks and months if the 
Lord see fit to tarry so long. 

What if Jacob had put forth his strength but for a little 
against his unknown antagonist and then given up con- 
quered instead of wrestling all night by the brook-side? 
What if, even at break of day, he had granted the petition, 
"Let me go," without further request? He would not 
have gained the blessing, would not have had power with 
God and prevailed. So neither will you unless you go 
and do likewise. 

Even Jesus Christ, who at the grave of Lazarus prayed 
to his Father, " I know that thou hearest me always," was 
wont to spend whole nights alone in prayer. Is there 
hope of your prayer obtaining readier answer than those 
of the Son of God himself, who even in the agony of the 
garden called again and again upon a Father's sympathetic 
heart before the ministering angel came? 

What are we that we do not need to say with David : 
" O my God, I cry in the day-time, and in the night sea- 
son I am not silent" ? And what is the testimony of those 
unto whom God hath granted gracious answer ? Is it not 
that the burden of prayer was never lifted from their souls 
day or night until the hearer himself gave them their 
heart's desire? Therefore, "Wait, I say, on the Lord," 
for " whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, believing, that 
shall ye receive." 

224 



NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. 



! OW many persons there 
are in the world who are 
of an undecided char- 
acter — that is, without 
firmness or stability of 
purpose, vacillating 
here and there, blown 
about with every wind 
of doctrine, now on one 
side, now on another, 
advancing opinions one 
day only to correct them 
on the next, never know- 
ing, what they do or do 
not want, and bothering 
every one who does. 
The world never knows 
where to find them, and 
worse yet, the church 
never knows where to find them. Is any one willing 
that such a verdict be uttered against him? 

Laodicea was a large and wealthy city of Asia Minor. 
It was known by another name until, having been greatly 
enlarged by Antiochus II., it was called after his wife, 
Laodice. The soil was fertile and there was much wealth 
among the people. The ruins of a great amphitheatre, 
one thousand feet in extent, with many of the seats still 
remaining, have been found by recent travellers; but to- 
day all is still as the grave, and not an inhabitant remains 
to tell of the once opulent city. No sound of the flocks of 
sheep is heard there; only traces can be found of the city 
walls; and the fragments of pedestals and the remains of 
numerous seats rising one above the other, are all that 
tell of luxurious theatres where the people were amused. 

Yet in Laodicea was once established a Christian 
church, to which Paul addressed some of his letters: and 




J5 



225 



226 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFT. 



it was one of the seven churches to which special messages 
were sent by Christ after his ascension. In Rev. iii. 15, 16 
we read these fearful words: "I know thy works, that 
thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or 
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither 
cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." 

How is it with us? Are our souls burning within us as 
Christ talks with us by the way? Are we up and doing 
in the service of God ? Have we taken to ourselves the 
"whole armor of God: with our loins girt about with 
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, our 
feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace: 
having the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the 
sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God: and pray- 
ing always to make known the mystery of the Gospel" ? 
Or are we like the Laodiceans, " neither cold nor hot," 
not to be depended upon, good for nothing in the work of 
the Lord? Let us be careful lest coming suddenly he 
find us sleeping at our post, with lamps untrimmed, and 
ourselves unprepared to go in to the marriage supper. 




GOD'S LAWS INFLEXIBLE. 




ARD and severe, men call them, and 
chafe at their restraints and seek to 
free themselves from their restric- 
tions. But did you ever stop to real- 
ize that the very existence of the 
world itself depends upon these 
laws? The whole universe is under 
law, every particle of it is bound as 
by an iron fetter, and no device of 
man can for an instant free it from 
its pressure. Law is the world's 
existence. By blind obedience only the globe keeps its 
place, and is clad with such grace and beauty. 

In the vegetable kingdom all transmission of life is ac- 
cording to God's original enactment that every herb and 
tree should bring forth seed after its kind; accordingly 
like produces like, and this law reigns supreme over all 
vegetation. The stupendous changes which have taken 
place since creation have not weakened this law one whit. 
The cedar and the oak of to-day are the cedar and oak of 
long ago; neither in form or development or color or fibre 
are they materially changed. The odors which greet us 
in spring-time are from the same flowers which perfumed 
the garden where man walked in innocence with his Cre- 
ator. The thorns and thistles with which God cursed the 
land are the thorns and thistles which to-day encroach 
upon our gardens. Each plant produces its like seed 
after its kind. The law of the harvest is immutable; 
that which is sown is that which shall be reaped, and for 
this we ought to be thankful, for it is a beneficent provis- 
ion of God, and implicit obedience to it is the only hope 
of creation. Law must close its iron hand around every 
seed that is planted, or all is confusion and uncertainty. 

Gravitation is a law — that mysterious force by which 
all matter attracts and is attracted. The whole universe 
is under that law. Ever since chaos fled from the mighty 
moorings of the Eternal Spirit, every plant has swung in 

227 



228 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



its ceaseless orbit, and every dew-drop has sought the 
bosom of the flower under the resistless rule of this law. 
This was the original law of formation from the plant to 
the drop of dew. Those majestic worlds and ours were 
rounded into spheres, in systems and in clusters, by this 
one law. The mountains rose up on their foundations, 
the sea fled to its level, brooks and rivers started towards 
the ocean, the dry land smiled in beauty after its bap- 
tism, the dew-drop assumed its tiny sphere, the man was 
placed upon the earth to walk upright in the image of 
God. Neither then nor since has any atom ceased to 
obey, and obedience to that law of God is our only 
safety; it stands between a living universe and the gulf 
of annihilation. 

The moral law is as much God's law as any of these 
natural ones. If there are any degrees the argument be- 
comes stronger in the spiritual than in the natural world. 
If God vindicates his natural laws, how much more shall 
he vindicate the laws which make up his moral adminis- 
tration! If God says sin shall be punished, we maybe 
sure it will be, just as sure as that any natural law will be 
fulfilled. Some people say that God is too merciful to 
punish sin. Did the fire ever cease to burn because a 
saintly martyr was in its grasp ? No, because it is the 
law of fire to burn, and it is executed on saint and fiend 
alike. God is merciful, but it is under immutable 
ordinances. 

The laws which hold the universe together must be 
upheld, and the moral laws are equally important. In 
temporal things it certainly matters greatly whether men 
attempt to gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, 
but does it matter less in spiritual things what the harvest 
of men's actions shall be? 

God's laws are no insignificant things to be broken with 
impunity. They are immutable, adamantine ordinances, 
set to guard all great and universal interests, lifting 
themselves up as impassable barriers between sin and 
holiness, and as long as God reigns they will never be 
relaxed in one tittle of their righteous requirements, nor 
fail one jot of their full vindication. 



GRACE WILL TELL. 




HERE is an old saying 
that "blood will tell." 
Put a nobleman, reared 
and educated to his po- 
sition, into rags and a 
home of poverty, yet 
in some way the mark 
of rank will betray 
itself. And, vice versa, 
dress the rude and un- 
taught beggar in royal 
purple and send him to 
court, and out through kingly vestment and princely sur- 
roundings will stand the unconcealed character, lacking 
and faulty at every turn. . 

A man elderly, bent, and having the appearance of one 
hampered by narrow means, entered the prayer-meeting 
one evening. He was a stranger to all present, and one 
of the deacons who noticed the odd figure on the back seat 
wondered vaguely whether his devotional attitude was 
induced by fatigue or due reverence for the time and 
place. But during a somewhat protracted pause which 
occurred during the service, the stranger slowly shambled 
to his feet and essayed to offer prayer; and before he had 
said "Amen," all the people in the vestry knew that the 
man who had just prayed in their hearing was the son of 
a King, the man who like Prince Abraham of old " walked 
with God." For the grace that dwelt in the lowly Chris- 
tian's heart was unhampered and unchecked by his temporal 
condition, and the minister wished that the voice of the 
poorly dressed stranger with the bent form and napless 
coat could often be heard in their meetings of prayer. 
Sometimes the life of the Christian seems crusted over 

229 



230 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



with worldly cares and ambitious desires. But ever so 
slight a touch of the Master's hand will rouse the slum- 
bering spirit of grace yet dwelling in the heart. Only see 
to it that it is there. Make sure that grace, the religion 
of Christ, is implanted in the soul, and it will be sure to 
manifest itself. If grace dwells within us, grace per- 
fected, even the salvation of the soul is assured us. And 
it will tell in some way in the life we live. That which 
finds lodgment in the heart must influence the words and 
deeds, not only our own, but of those with whom we asso- 
ciate. We are only blessed when the light or grace within 
us so shines that others, seeing our good works, will be 
led to glorify our Father who is in heaven. 




TAKE NEAR VIEWS. 




O the Christian the first years of his 
life are spent in looking ahead; 
the last in taking nearer views. 
He trusts in God, puts himself 
under entire subjection to the Di- 
vine will, desires to know no 
other, prays for daily bread, to be 
led step by step, and never for an 
instant doubts that for one meal 
and for one step he is trusting the 
dear Lord to care for him. In youth *he keeps an eye 
upon the far-away future, planning for the days that have 
not yet dawned, taking thought for the morrow that may 
never come, and although feeling that everything is in 
subjection to what God wills, forgetting the little French 
proverb, L* homme propose, mats Dieu dispose (" man pro- 
poses but God disposes"), he goes on drawing plans for 
farms and store-houses that are to hold the grain that may 
never be cradled, and setting up looms that may never 
hold warp and woof of any fabric, and casting the wheels 
that may never be needed to run the engine. 

In the vineyard of the Lord each of his dear children 
has his portion of work ; and according to his work so his 
reward shall be. " Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs 
of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good 
fruit." If you raise thorns and thistles no good reward 
can come to you. In this light we can all judge ourselves 
by ourselves; holding ourselves and our work in the light 
that God gives, and proving it to be Of the kind that shall 
bring forth good fruit to the glory of the Father. 

But after a while, when we grow weary of making plans 
that we can never carry out, we begin to take short views. 
We can never count with any certainty beyond the present 

231 



232 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



moment; we all have a to-day, but who has a to-morrow? 
We do not any longer make plans far ahead, for by expe- 
rience we have learned how very useless it is to do so. 
Even if the clouds in our horizon are dark and lowering, 
even if we are beset round about by an impenetrable 
hedge of seeming impossibilities, at God's time, if we ask 
for help, the clouds part and the sun shines through, a 
way is opened in the hedge and we rejoice. 

We have learned not to carry to-day the burdens of to- 
morrow, to cross in imagination any bridges until we 
come to them, for we might be like the couple who quar- 
relled while walking fourteen miles as to how they were to 
cross a certain bridge, and when they came to it the 
waters were dried up and they went over on dry ground. 
It is good to take note of Abraham Lincoln's reply to a 
discouraged friend: " My rule through life has been never 
to cross the Great Bigmuddy Creek till I came to it." 

And when we have learned to take these near views, 
when we can just thank the dear Lord for the care of yes- 
terday, for the blessings of to-day, and fully trust him to 
show us the same goodness for to-morrow, then and then 
only can we cry out with the Psalmist: "Every day will 
I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and 
ever." 




THE BRANCH AND THE VINE. 



T is self-evident and most clearly 

understood that a branch cannot 

bear fruit except it abide in the 

vine; but I am afraid it is not 

clearly understood -that a man 

cannot bear fruit except he abide 

in Christ. That branch which 

the gardener has pruned off and 

which lies with withering leaves 

by the roadside, we know is 

at the end of its fruitage; but 

what of the Christian who has 

no near vital connection with 

Christ, who has cast himself off and lies 

at a distance from his Saviour? Christ 

says it is no worse with the vine than with 

the man. " As the branch cannot bear 

fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, 

no more can ye except ye abide in me." 

It is the Christian's great duty to bear 
fruit to the glory of God. Next to the 
salvation of his own soul comes the fruit- 
age. No one is translated to heaven as soon as he obtains 
a title-deed to the blood-bought inheritance. We are to 
remain here in a state of pupilage, that we may be pre- 
pared and trained for the upper kingdom; and not for 
that end alone, but that we may be lights to the world, 
that we may finish the work God has given us to do, and 
that we may glorify God in our bodies and spirits, which 
are his. Do we realize as we ought that this work only 
begins when our souls are saved, that we must show 
our faith by our works? The Epistle of James, the epis- 
tle of straw as it was at first called, which narrowly es- 
caped being thrown out of the New Testament canon as a 
forgery, as a contradiction of Divine teaching, was pre- 

233 




234 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



served by Almighty wisdom for a high use. James says: 
" Thou hast faith and I have works. Show me thy faith 
without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my 
works." It is a fair challenge, and while we have never 
come to place works on an equality with faith, or trust in 
works to save us, yet we have come to see that faith can- 
not be shown without works. It is dead then. It is like 
a vine cut off from the branch without vitality enough to 
put forth a single twig or fruit. 

If anything can keep our modern civilization from 
paralysis, it is this Epistle of James, for it gives the kind 
of preaching which is needed. Faith will produce some 
kind of works; if there be none, faith is dead. The 
illustration of such a life is that mutilated branch sepa- 
rated from the parent tree. 

It is as evidently then the Christian's duty as it is the 
vine's function to bear fruit. It is worth noting too, 
that the way to bear fruit is plainly implied. Fruit-bear- 
ing and abiding in Christ are inseparably connected; the 
exhortation to the one is the exhortation to the other; they 
cannot be separated. We have various duties to perform, 
and their faithful performance constitutes fruitfulness. 
Now, what is the best way of doing all these things? 
Shall we fix our attention upon each one separately as it 
devolves upon us? Shall we undertake them as so many 
duties that must be done at such times? That is oneway 
to do, but there is danger in that way of being cumbered 
about much serving. There is danger of duty becoming 
a task and a bugbear, something to be dreaded, and from 
which we would escape if we could. There is danger of 
many duties making life a burden instead of a joy, for 
really such a spirit is an attempt to bear fruit of oneself. 
Now, instead of that, suppose we commence further back 
and further in. Suppose we reach for an inspiration 
which will assist in any duty, whatever it may be, and all 
duties, no matter how many. Assuredly that would be 
the better way, and that is what the Saviour wants us to do. 
Abiding in Christ is the secret of constant, spontaneous, 
increasing doing of duties which glorify God — of fruit- 
bearing. 

The term abiding in Christ means an intimate commun- 
ion with him. In a spiritual sense we are to make Christ 



236 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

the abode of our souls, to identify ourselves with him. 
As some one has truly said, the command is not abide 
with me, abide near me, abide wider me, but abide in me. 
The fruit-bearing branch is not merely in the same place 
with the vine, nor under its shadow simply; it is in it and 
abides in it. One life flows through both, the life of the 
vine. So when our Lord says abide in me, it is as if he 
said, "Think as I think, feel as I feel, will as I will, 
choose as I choose, and let my views of all objects and all 
events be yours because they are mine. Let my wisdom 
be your wisdom, my strength your strength." It is im- 
possible to express in words the fulness of meaning, but 
there is no obscurity in the figure. The branch united, 
clinging to, and dependent upon the vine; the impossibil- 
ity of marking where one ends and another begins, the 
community of life in both, marks a union inexpressible 
fully in words, but as intimate as it is precious. 

The life thus prescribed is constant. Neither the nat- 
ural nor the spiritual life of anyone was ever meant to be 
uncertain. What is there to make us one thing to-day 
and another thing to-morrow, except in the way of growth 
and progression? We ought to be different from ourselves 
at one time and another only because we are better every 
day we live. Constancy is not, however, a character- 
istic of the lives of most Christians. We often see a 
great life shooting out hither and thither, and making 
great apparent growth, which yet knows nothing of pa- 
tient endurance. It depends upon excitement and im- 
pulse only. When these die out it seems to die too. We 
look for it to accomplish great things and bring forth 
fruit an hundredfold, but we look in vain. When we ex- 
pect to hear of the good works of the promising Christian, 
we find only the melancholy history written by the Apos- 
tle, " Demas hath forsaken me." Unstable as water, such 
a life cannot excel. It is worth while to inquire if there 
be not a counterfeit of true grace which exhibits even 
greater vitality than the real, and puts out of countenance 
the steady, modest, silent working of true piety, but 
which has none of its constancy. 

The growth of the soul is little by little, but unceas- 
ing; every day finds some addition to its life. It is 
ever producing the fruits of the Spirit, love and joy, and 



THE BRANCH AND THE VINE. 



237 



peace. The fruit is ever coming nearer and nearer to per- 
fection, the growth of the branch is steadily approaching 
the symmetry and stability of the vine. The true Chris- 
tian is day by day reaching forward unto the image of 
Christ until he arrives at the stature of a perfect man. 
The reality of this life may be measured by its earnest- 
ness to grow, its consciousness of present deficiency, its 
hungering and thirsting after more of all that belongs to 
the believers of God. We have no right to expect relig- 
ion to be born at its maturity, for then all that remains is 
for it to become more infirm and less animated. But we 
have a right to expect progression from a weak state to a 
strong one. First comes the blade, then the ear, then the 
full corn in the ear. So does true religion grow in the 
heart and life. In that progress we become more pure in 
heart, more humble in spirit, less selfish in aim, more be- 
nevolent toward others. By faith let us enter into him as 
a dwelling-place of our hearts and minds. Seek that he 
may dwell in us, so that being rooted and grounded in 
him we may be branches of the true vine. 




SELF-DENIAL. 




ELF-DENIAL, for the sake of self-denial, 
does no good; self-sacrifice for its own sake 
is no religious act at all. If you give up a 
meal for the sake of showing power over 
self, or for the sake of self-discipline, you 
are not more religious than before. This is 
mere self-culture, which being occupied for- 
ever about self, leaves you only in that cir- 
cle of self from which religion is to free 
you; but to give up a meal that one you 
love may have it, is properly a religious 
act — no hard and dismal duty, because made 
easy by affection. To bear pain for the 
sake of bearing it has no moral quality at 
all. But to bear it rather than surrender 
truth, or in order to save another, is positive 
enjoyment, as well as ennobling to the sOul. 
Did you ever receive even a blow meant for 
another in order to shield that other ? Do you not know 
that there was actual pleasure in that keen pain far be- 
yond the most rapturous thrill of nerve which could be 
gained from pleasure in the midst of painlessness? Is not 
the mystic yearning of love expressed in words most 
purely thus: Let me suffer for him? This element of 
love is that which makes this doctrine an intelligible and a 
blessed truth. Sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is 
ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illumi- 
nated by love, is warmth and life ; it is the death of Christ, 
the life of God, the blessedness and only proper life of 
man. 




238 



AMBITION FOR GREATNESS. 




found. 



E have plenty of evidence in 
the Gospels that several of 
the Apostles possessed an 
ambition for personal great- 
ness. Prominent among 
them were James and John, 
the sons of Zebedee and 
Salome. These young men 
were bright, talented, and zeal- 
ous. They were full of push 
and pluck, and entertained high 
opinions of their Master and 
the kingdom which he came to 
Sparkling with the thought 
that eminent positions in the new king- 
dom, occupied by themselves, would 
afford them a wide range of influence 
and confer upon them the appellation of "great 
men," they sought, through their pleasing mother, to 
have Christ grant them the highest seats of distinction 
and honor which could be created for them. But their 
" application" was summarily rejected, and a very timely 
and wholesome lesson was imparted, which doubtless 
gave them a very different view of greatness from that 
they had entertained. Yet, it may be observed, Christ 
did not give a rebuke against the indulgence of a desire 
to become truly great. Nor did he ever say anything 
which can be properly construed against the exercise and 
cultivation of personal ambition of the right kind. There 
is a certain kind of ambition which is praiseworthy. It 
is one of the fundamental features and characteristics of 
true manhood and true womanhood. Strip a man of his 
ambition and he is robbed of one of the noblest elements 
of his nature. Destroy that, and the mainspring of a 
man's energy is broken; he lies before you little better 
than a wrecked machine. It would be a sad derange- 
ment of all that is promising and progressive in man. 
When God created man, he designed that he should be 

239 



240 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



ambitious. In Pope's "Essay on Man," he asks this 
question : 

" Who knows but He, whose hand the lightning forms, 
Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms, 
Pours fierce ambition in a Caesar's mind ? " 

Willis, in a poem read at Yale College over fifty years 
ago, gave this inspiring sentiment: 

" Press on ! for it is God-like to unloose 
The spirit, and forget yourself in thought. 
Bending a pinion for the deeper sky, 
And, in the very fetters of your flesh, 
Mating with the pure essences of heaven ! 
Press on ! — ' for in the grave there is no work 
And no device.' Press on, while yet you may '" 

But a greater man than Willis, even the ambitious Paul, 
said: " I press toward the mark for the prize of the high 
calling of God." And there never was a more ambitious 
man than Paul. The fires of a lofty ambition burned in 
his bosom, and they bore him onward with resistless en- 
ergy. In one place, according to the revised version (in- 
cluding the marginal note), he says: "We are ambitious, 
whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him." 
In two other places in Paul's writings the word "ambi- 
tious" is used, showing that the Apostle was energized 
with a mighty and masterful ambition. And let us remem- 
ber that if men were not truly ambitious, they never would 
become truly great. Hence it follows that there should 
be a healthful encouragement and cultivation of one's am- 
bition in the right channels, that we may attain unto a 
greatness which is bounded by modesty, truth, and prin- 
ciple. God has no pleasure in an ambitionless man. He 
tells the sluggard to go to the ant and consider her ways. 
A marked feature in Christ's dealings with men was his 
constantly urging them to make the most of themselves. 
He wanted them to be something more than mere ciphers 
in society. There were many who did not count in the 
scale of social and moral influence. They were mere 
stumbling-blocks in the way of the world's true progress. 
Christ endeavored to inspire these and others with 
thoughts and purposes which would lead them out into 
various fields of noble service, and thus make them am- 
bitious to enter the path of true greatness. 



"JUST ONCE." 




|HE temptation to step aside "just 
once" from the narrow way comes 
not infrequently to the young 
Christian. If Satan can but 
gain our consent to one de- 
parture, he knows that succeeding 
steps in the wrong direction will 
easily follow. The following ex- 
tract from the recently published 
life of Dr. Judson, by his son, may 
come as a timely word to some 
tempted and hesitating soul: "A 
native Christian woman told me 

] wsi tf&y^'c/ ^ iat s ^ ie was a ^° ut to en §' a §" e m 

4 — [r r^| yS^ something which Dr. Judson con- 

y " * sidered not conducive to her spir- 

itual good. He sent for her and 
remonstrated; but she would not give ug her darling 
project. 'Look here!' said he, eagerly, snatching a ruler 
from the table, and tracing out a very straight line upon 
the floor; 'here is where you have been walking. You 
have made a crooked track, to be sure; out of the path 
half the time; but then you have kept near it, and not 
taken to new roads, and you have — not so much as you 
might have done, mind, but still to a certain extent — 
grown in grace; and now, with all this growth upon your 
heart and head, in the maturity of your years, with ri- 
pened understanding and an every-day deepening sense of 
the goodness of God — here, ' bringing down the ruler with 
emphasis to indicate a certain position, 'here you stand. 
You know where this path leads. You know what is be- 
fore you. Some struggles, some honors, and finally eternal 
life and a crown of glory. But to the left branches off 
another very pleasant road, and along the air floats, 
rather temptingly, a pretty bauble. You do not mean to 
16 241 



242 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



leave the path you "have walked in fifteen years — fifteen 
long years — altogether; you only want to step aside and 
catch the bauble, and think you will come back again ; but 
you never will. Think! Dare you deliberately leave this 
straight and narrow path, drawn by the Saviour's finger, 
and go away for one moment into that of your enemy ? 
Will you? Will you? Will you?' 'I have made a great 
many crooked tracks since,' she added, tearfully, 'but 
whenever I am unusually tempted I see the teacher as he 
looked that day, bending over in his chair, the ruler 
placed upon the floor to represent me, his finger pointing 
along the path of eternal life; his eye looking so strangely 
over his shoulder, and that terrible "Will you?" coming 
from his lips as though it was the voice of God; and I 
pray for help, just as Peter did of old.' ' 







\.^ps 



COMMON SENSE IN RELIGION. 




F there is anything more than another that is 
needed to pervade our lives, our thoughts, 
our actions, it is common sense. It is need- 
ful in the home, the office, the shop, the fac- 
tory, in fact in every grade of life, and not 
less in our religion. Every man and woman 
needs it; and while all cannot be giants in 
intellect, all cannot attain to the pinnacles 
of earthly splendor, every one can, whether 
in the palace or the hut, lay claim to a live necessity for 
common sense. It is a balance-wheel in every emergency. 
A necessity arises, something must be brought to a defi- 
nite point at once, and while some are dallying, wringing 
their hands, and crying out to know what is best to be 
done, he who is possessed of common sense is alert, seizes 
the opportunity to act, and danger is averted, success is 
achieved. How many times in every one's life are mis- 
takes avoided, blunders shunned, and the point of van- 
tage gained by using common sense. Try it, and see if it 
is not the very best possible way to get along. Do not 
creep behind some one else; do not shirk your own de- 
cisions, but stand up bravely upon your own ship, and 
with the wheel of common sense to guide the helm you 
will be brought to a safe harbor. 




243 



JESUS OF NAZARETH 
BY." 



PASSETH 



INNER, know you that the time is com- 
ing when, in your great fear and anguish 
and bewilderment, you will hide your- 
self in the dens and in the rocks of the 
mountains, and say to the mountains and 
rocks/'Fall on us and hide us from the face 
of him that sitteth on the throne, and 
from the wrath of the Lamb," unless the 
"Great Physician," who is now passing by, 
stop and heal you of your malady, put a 
white robe upon you, and write his Father's 
name upon your forehead ? 

And who is this Great Physician? Jesus 

of Nazareth ! And he is now passing by — 

it may be, never to return. He alone, of 

all that are in the heavens, or under the 

heavens, can save you from the wrath to 

come. Oh! call upon him, as did blind Bar- 

timseus of old, " Jesus, thou Son of David, have 

mercy on me!" Heed not the world and the 

devil when they charge thee to hold thy peace, 

but "cry the more a great deal," " Jesus, thou Son of 

David, have mercy on me!" 

And he will hear thee — will stop. With infinite conde- 
scension and love unbounded, he will notice and call to 
you: "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" Then 
fall at his feet, and say, "Lord, that I might be made 
clean;" and he will put forth his hand and say, "I will; 
be thou clean;" and from that moment thy sins are 
forgiven thee. 





244 




JESUS OF NAZARETH PASSETH BY 



THE REAL SOURCE OF POWER. 




BIGHT from on high can light up the 
U darkest and most rugged of places. 
At rare times many of us have our 
mounts of vision and our moments 
of surprising others with pictures of 
the glories of our spiritual land- 
scape; but what we need to-day in 
our Christian experience is the 
equanimity of conscious and con- 
stantly indwelling power. How 
shall we gain this power? Tons of 
religious manuscript have been written, and thousands of 
voices have been engaged in prayer and in argument, much 
of it, alas! profitless, because there was not a wise recog- 
nition of the elements of spiritual power. 

It is surely singular when we can have the real power 
that we take its semblance instead. We only half believe, 
and thus we never convince. What we want first is to sur- 
render ourselves to the simple close-at-hand truths of the 
Gospel. Half-surrender people are without deep convic- 
tion, and therefore without power. 

Paul's power came through his convictions; all of the 
apostles who have since the foundation of the world lifted 
the flaming torch of truth to light the path of bewildered 
wayfarers, have held the never-dying flame within their 
own souls. 




ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE. 




FTER nights and 
days passed in 
sleeplessness and 
anxiety under the 
strain of an unex- 
pected and over- 
whelming calam- 
ity, when the brain 
seemed too be- 
numbed to think 
and to formulate 
its requests in 
prayer, at length 
the thought 
comes, " Why not 
ask that this bur- 
den be borne for 
you?" To carry 
it alone will kill 
you shortly. 1 1 
might have been even worse than it is. Thank God that 
it is not, and ask him to carry it for you. And with the 
very uplifting of the heart, there will come relief. All 
things whatsoever ye shall ask in his name, believing, 
ye shall receive. All things. Is anything too much to 
ask, or is anything too great for God to give? 

Asking from our fellow-men is a different matter. We 
may get our requests granted, and we may meet with a 
more or less courteous or even discourteous refusal. We 
have to trust much to the temper and disposition of the 
person from whom we ask the favor we desire. But with 
God it is a different matter. He needs not to be ap- 
proached with caution, or even with any hesitancy. We 
can bring our requests timidly or boldly. He under- 
stands our desires, and will give us the proper answer 

247 



248 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

to our requests. Let us therefore come boldly to the 
throne of grace, and look for help in every time of 
trouble. The cares and trials of life are many. We see 
not the way clearly before us. By prayer shall we get # 
the burdens of life, lifted and light shed upon the dark- 
ness around us. 

Most Christians could multiply instances in which an- 
swers to prayers have been signal and significant. We may 
not always clearly see the way in which we are led, even 
in the gaining of our requests, but most certainly we are 
led, and that by a Father's hand. We get much that we 
do not ask for. We are in daily receipt of blessings in- 
numerable which come to us like the sunlight and the 
dew. 

But much else certainly does come to us because we pray 
for it. If we seek we do find. If we ask we do receive. 
And past experiences strengthen our faith. If we have 
once received we shall yet again find mercy, for 

"He who hath led will lead; 
He who hath fed will feed." 

Yea, even unto the end of the journey the rugged places 
shall be made smooth unto our feet, and the bread and 
water upon our way shall be sure. By asking much shall 
we do much, for the Lord shall increase our strength if 
we be of willing mind, and opportunities will open on 
every hand to him who seeks to do good. And the differ- 
ence between asking much and asking little shall make 
the difference in "our lives, whether they be meagre 
or full of blessings to ourselves and others. At the 
Fulton Street Prayer-meeting which I attended lately, a 
gentleman arose and said that he always made it a habit 
to go to God jirst, that God might sometimes send him to 
others, but that he never applied to any one without first 
laying his case before God, who would invariably direct 
his footsteps. If this were always the rule of our lives, 
how much of suffering we might oftentimes save both our- 
selves and others. Ask indeed we must, but first let us 
ask of God. If he directs us to human help, well and 
good. If not, his plans and ways are devious, and in him 
will we trust, securely resting on his promise, "Ask and 
ye shall receive." 



INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY. 




jOD does not regard men in the mass, 
though there are some who seem to 
think that he is so great as to over- 
look the individual in his care for 
the aggregate. But there is an in- 
finity of littleness which does more 
to illustrate and exalt the power of 
God than the infinity of greatness. 
Any being with an arm strong 
enough could chisel the mountains, 
any one with a hand large enough 
could hold the ocean; but it is not 
the strong arm alone nor the great hand alone which 
could fashion an insect or paint a flower. He who does 
both must combine delicacy the most wonderful with 
power the most mighty, and such is our God. It is as 
individual persons that God always has and always will 
regard men, not as a mass. As long as we can pluck in 
the wildest glades of the mountains a flower that is as 
perfect in all its parts as the mountain itself, we may 
know that God cares for individuals. 

What is an individual ? Very different certainly from 
a creation of circumstances. However powerful our en- 
vironment may be, it is not omnipotent; yet we often fall 
into an error of judgment about this. We say we do not 
see how a man can help being just what he is; it is only 
what might have been expected under the circumstances. 
But why might this have been expected ? Only because 
the person is weak, not because the circumstances are 
strong. There is never a sin we fall into but we might 
have escaped it. There is never a temptation into which 
we fall but we see. afterward how we might have resisted 
it. It has been our own fault, and no plea of the power 
of circumstances will avail with the God who sees us as 
individuals. We have a will given to us, active and 
indomitable, which can override even the most adverse 

249 



250 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



circumstances and make them stepping-stones in the heav- 
enly race. No person is in any sense a creature of chance, 
but is rather the sum total of causes which he himself has 
set in motion, the resultant of forces which he has held in 
his hand all his life. We all make ourselves. Great 
orators, great statesmen, scholars, or poets are self-made 
men; but so also is a great drunkard or a great fool. We 
have had opportunities, we have held clues in our hands, 
we have made discoveries, we have had strength ; whether 
we have used these things and profited by them or not, we 
are self-made. If we look into the past we can see just 
what amount of good or evil we have extracted from 
everything, and how we have thereby been making our- 
selves. We are individually responsible for what we make 
of ourselves, and God will so judge us. 




DOING HEARTILY. 



1 ^Ot^dvllNHiHRnli ^ * s one tn i n & to hear, but quite 

Ji^SlflJ fiS^SK ifr another thing to do. Jesus knew 

rS5^5*^*j^m how eas y it was t0 make one 

y ' J^^^rjj^ HsSJ '* thing stand for the other, and 

V^lfe 1 ' y^Yffi~'"^pd that his disciples might not 

JIM \\l^mlv- / make such a mistake, he charged 

/^^^MI^Ef them to be doers and not hearers only. 

^t^SSfilsl^ ^ ie ^ ear ^° r< ^ ca ^ s to us, an ^ we an - 

•^^^^S^^^ swer, "Speak, Lord," and then words 

■j JP IIpllfc; of gracious love are told us. words of 
jSK8|P% '' hope, and joy, and comfort. We are 
J^PIJp- called children, the children of a Father 

U '■ \§/ who knows just what is best for each one 

of us; just how much discipline is neces- 
sary to fit us for the kingdom; just how many trials are 
needed to bring us to the foot of the cross; just how many 
pleasures we can bear without being led away from him; 
just how much praise is healthful to encourage us in the 
way to the heavenly home. 

In former times when a race was run, the victor was 
crowned with a wreath of laurel, and the judge spoke 
words of congratulatory praise. That did not prevent 
him from trying to win another race, it only made him 
the more anxious to win; and the louder the applause 
that greeted him the more he agonized to deserve it. 
That is the way God deals with us. We are running a 
race; we are trying to win the prize of high calling that 
is before us. Better than any laurel wreath is our reward — 
the life with God in heaven. 

Do you ask what heaven is? Who knows? The Bible 
does not give us any tangible idea; it is a place of rest, 
of happiness, of joy, but better yet, it is a place where 
Christ is; where we will do <and enjoy whatever God wills, 
and from which we will go no more out forever. But we 
must earn it; we must not only do God's will, but we 

251 



252 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



must do it heartily. How impatient we become with those 
who are bidden to do service for us if they lag, if they only 
do things in an indifferent way, as if it was only because 
they were obliged to do it: not with the gracious pleasure 
that makes us feel as if we asked a favor instead of issu- 
ing a command. Hearty service is tenfold more welcome 
than that which is only endurable. 

Doing heartily for the Lord those things that he wills 
is what he desires. When so much has been done for us; 
when our Saviour left the joys of heaven, the presence of 
the Father, to die for us that we might not perish, but 
have everlasting life, is it too much to expect that what- 
soever lies before us in the line of duty will be done with 
our might; that in our manner of doing it we may mani- 
fest to all men the love that we possess for our God? 
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and 
not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive 
the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord 
Christ." 





PERVERTING THE TRUTH. 




OR some reason the present age 
seems to be one of unusual doubt 
and inquiry. Christians are heard 
asking the views of each other as to 
whether this or that pleasure should 
be participated in by church mem- 
bers. Then questions arise con- 
stantly as to whether the teachings 
and precepts of the Bible are to be 
) f/'n K/\ ' taken in an entirely literal sense. 
/' ! a vJ To an old-fashioned, or perhaps it 

would be better to say, to an cld- 
time, Christian, these doubts and 
queries seem out of place, for the 
time was when truths of Scripture 
were accepted as meaning just what they say. With a 
due regard for those parts of the Bible which are plainly 
intended to be allegorical and illustrative, this would 
seem to be no more than reasonable. The laws of busi- 
ness are observed and adhered to with a fidelity which 
shows how desirous men and women are to present only a 
fair and creditable rule of conduct in their transactions 
with one another. But when it comes to obeying the best 
and greatest of all known laws, the divine law of relig- 
ion, sad to say, even professing Christians are prone to 
question and wonder and give themselves all the license 
conscience possibly will allow. 

What every person entering the Church of Christ should 
do first of all, is to resolve firmly to resist evil and every- 

253 



254 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



thing tending to evil, to obey the law and the whole law 
of God. And any one already professing the name of 
Christ who has been inclined to waver and evade the plain 
requirements of a religious life, ought to at once pause 
and determine to thrust out of his life and daily practice 
whatever is at variance with the revealed law of the 
Scriptures. What more pitiable than to see any one who 
has espoused an important and sacred cause, placing him- 
self in an attitude to invite the thief of irresolution and 
unbelief to enter his mind and heart, stealing away his 
best and most valued interests in life! What dutiful child 
would ever think of questioning with other children as to 
how far he could go in acts of infidelity and disobedience 
without fear of detection or punishment from his parents? 
And then such questionings as have been hinted at on the 
part of Christians are mostly a mere pretence. In every 
human breast God has implanted a conscience which is 
faithful in its promptings, and rarely fails to dictate with 
unerring fidelity the best course to be pursued at all times 
and under all circumstances. 

The truth is, it is often too hard to obey the strict yet 
simple command of the Master, to come out and be sep- 
arated from the world, or from worldlings, as the text 
implies. What Christians need most in our day is the 
firm, resolute will to shut and bolt the door of indecision, 
forcibly resist the devil, and cause him to flee. The 
pleasures of the world are too shallow to be trusted, too 
fleeting to be at all relied upon. Religion is abiding. 
No period of time, no course of events, can weaken its 
mighty power. Embrace it, cling to it, adhere with in- 
domitable resolution to its requirements as set forth in 
the Gospel; its teachings will never betray those who 
trust it, but it will yield a thousand dear delights even 
before, through its saving agency, " we reach the heavenly 
shore, and walk the golden streets." 



A RAINBOW IN THE CLOUDS. 




E all know what a rainbow is; 
that it is the refraction of the 
beams of the sun in passing 
the drops of falling rain; the 
rays being separated into the 
prismatic colors are then re- 
flected from the cloud opposite 
to the sun and the spectator. 
The rainbow is the token of 
the covenant which God made 
with Noah when he came forth 
from the Ark, that the w r aters 
should no more become a flood 
to destroy all flesh. 

Of the colors noticed in the 
Bible only white, black, red, 
yellow, and green are men- 
tioned; only three of these are 
prismatic (white and black 
being the absence of color). Blue, indigo, violet, and 
orange are omitted. Yellow is very seldom noticed, and 

255 



256 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

is apparently regarded as a shade of green. This latter 
color is frequently referred to, and conveys the idea 
of something vigorous and flourishing. Newly plucked 
boughs are said to be green ; and a different meaning is 
that of sprouting, or putting forth of leaves. 

The only fundamentaj color of which the Hebrews ap- 
pear to have had any clear conception is red; and even 
that they do not often use. Some writers have attempted 
to explain certain passages in Revelations by telling us 
that by emerald, green is meant; that for jasper we should 
read yellow, etc., etc. ; but for ordinary minds it is safer 
and better to believe that the picture given to us conveys 
the idea of pure, brilliant, transparent light. White was 
the symbol of innocence; the raiment of angels, the robes 
of glorified saints, and whatsoever is pure and good, and 
pertains to the kingdom of Christ. 

Sorrow causes the blackness of night to hover about us, 
and our hearts grow weak in the darkness, for there is no 
light, no hope, no God for us to see. Despair seizes upon 
us, and in our agony we cry aloud for help. We hear the 
mutterings of the thunder, we see the flash of the light- 
ning, and we lose all hope; discouragement reigns, and 
we feel very sure that God is not in the tempest. But it is 
only through spiritual warfare that we become strong. 
When the storm has passed away, when the angry clouds 
have gone over, although the effects of nature's disturb- 
ance have not disappeared, the sun comes out and there 
appears overhead the rainbow of promise. 

The Captain of our salvation tells us to take to our- 
selves the whole armor of God, that in the great day we 
may be able to stand ; but if we do not know how to use 
them, of how little service are the helmet of salvation, 
the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith, and the prep- 
aration of the Gospel of peace with which our feet are 
shod. We must fight and learn to use our own armor, 
that with our loins girt about we may take to us the 
breastplate of righteousness. 

There is a bow of promise in every dark cloud; be- 
hind the blackness the sun is ever shining; and back of 
the cloud, the darkness, and the rainbow, we always have 
the King on his throne, and nearer to us the dear Jesus, 



A RAINBOW IN THE CLOUDS. 



257 



who says, " Fear not, little flock; it is your Father's good 
pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

"Why then not walk beside him, 
Holding his blessed hand, 
Patiently walking onward 
All through the weary land ? 

"Dwelling beneath his shadow 

In the burden and heat of the day, 
Looking for his appearing 
As the hours wear fast away." 




17 



WORDS FITLY SPOKEN." 





which 



T was a lovely 
morning late in 
winter. Al- 
though the air 
was crisp and 
cold, and the 
newly fallen 
snow swept 
down in showers from the 
branches of the grand old 
maples, which gave to the 
exterior of our home its 
chief charm, there was that 
in the sunbeam and in the 
air, as well as in the lights 
and shadows here and 
suggested thoughts of the 



there upon the snow, 
beautiful spring-time, with its warm sunshine, its w r ealth 
of flowers, and luscious fruits to come. It was a luxury 
to breathe the morning air, and to enjoy these foreshadow- 
ings of spring, after a long, dreary winter. 

But the sunshine was all without, for within a beloved 
friend had long been ill; and such was the nature of the 
malady which had prostrated him, and such the circum 
stances attending his illness, that all cheerfulness had for- 
saken him. 

I spoke to him of the beauty of the morning, and 
brought from among the plants and vines which luxuri- 
ated in a sunny window, one which had been a special 
favorite of our loved one, a beautiful fuchsia, laden with 
flowers and a profusion of buds in various stages. " Not 
now, I cannot see it now," were the words, faintly said, 
in response to my efforts. 

A few hours passed, during which the watcher sought, 
under an aspect of cheerfulness, to conceal the feelings of 

253 



-WORDS FITLY SPOKEN." 259 

hopelessness which for some time past had been gradually 
becoming stronger, even to a settled conviction. 

A friend who, until then, had not fully realized the 
condition of the invalid, called to see him. Entering 
with a smiling face, and avoiding all allusion to the ap- 
pearance of the sufferer, he spoke of the lovely morning 
and the speedy advent of spring; then, in bright, happy 
tones, of the pleasure in store for all, when the invalid, 
restored to health, would be able to mingle with friends 
who were anxious to see him again among them. The 
dull eye brightened as the pleasing picture was sketched, 
and then the idea dawned upon him that perhaps he might 
still be spared to his family and friends. 

Other words of cheer and deeds of kindness followed. 
The look of hopelessness and suffering little by little 
passed away. The heart so long heavy because of finan- 
cial losses consequent upon the long illness, became 
lighter as it opened to the friend whose attentions were 
unwearied. Other visits followed, and tempting delica- 
cies often came, which were enjoyed the more because the 
invalid knew that in other homes he was thought of, and 
that these were the overflowings of the sympathy felt for 
him in those homes and hearts. Kind messages and 
tokens of remembrance, many of them of great intrinsic 
value, and all priceless to him to whom they were sent, 
because expressions of regard and sympathy, all came, 
and often borne by the same faithful friend. 

At length, after many weary months, we felt that our 
loved one was saved. 

Those were truly "words fitly spoken," and the deeds 
of love which accompanied the words attested the sincer- 
ity of the regard to which the words gave utterance. 

As we see the evidences of returning health upon the 
face so recently very pale and haggard, our hearts are 
filled with gratitude to the Great Giver of all good for 
putting those precious words of cheer into the heart of 
our friend. 

May it not be that the progress of disease could some- 
times be checked if only cheerful words were spoken in 
the sick-room? If " little words of kindness, little deeds 
of love," are sweet to those in the vigor of health, how 
much more so to those who are shut out from participa- 



260 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



tion in the enjoyments of active life, and deprived of the 
privilege of labor and the profits resulting therefrom! 

With how little sacrifice either of time or of strength 
might those who are well bear to the sick some message 
so full of encouragement as to turn the scale, and call 
back to life one who might otherwise go down to the 
"narrow house." 

Are there no sick and sorrowing ones to whom we may 
go with cheering words and loving deeds, in the spirit of 
him who went about doing good? 

With such a high and holy example, let us "go and do 
likewise." 




RECOGNITION IN HEAVEN, 



Ss^isl 



WW 



'-_■ 



W'M 



: 



w 



IPililliilililii 



;3 







E here know but little 

about heaven. And yet 

we know all that in our 

present state we need to 

know. We know the way 

there, and it should be 

our great endeavor to 
walk in that way, and to get there. 
And we know that it is a perfectly 
holy and happy place; that all of 
its employments are such as holy 
beings most delight in; that there 
the great Father more immediately 
dwells, and reveals his glory; that 
there we shall see the blessed 
Saviour face to face, and be like 
him, and that we shall have for our associates the holy 
angels and the spirits of just men made perfect. "There 
shall we see, and hear, and know all that we desired or 
wished below." 

As regards the extent of our acquaintance in heaven we 

?6i 




262 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



are not informed. It has been a question of interest with 
some, whether we shall there recognize the friends that 
have been dear to us here. I think that there can be but 
little doubt in this regard. It may be that they will be 
among the first to meet and to greet us on our arrival 
there. I certainly and confidently expect to meet there 
all those friends in Christ to whom I have here sustained 
endearing relations, and to hold pleasant converse with 
them. I anticipate this as one of the pleasures of that 
blessed world. 

I expect also to become acquainted with all those em- 
inent saints of whom I have read, both of the Old and the 
New dispensation. I expect to behold, at a distance it 
may be, the faces of Abraham, of Moses, of David, of 
Peter, and John, and Paul, and other worthies of whom 
the time would fail one to speak. And although there 
will be there a great multitude, which no man can num- 
ber, of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
tion, it is probable that I shall become acquainted with 
them all, and with all the important facts of their history. 
How long it will take I cannot say, but there will be 
ample time; nor will knowledge be gained by the slow- 
process by which it is here acquired. We may need no 
introduction there. All will be of one family, and bear 
the image of their common Saviour, and there will be 
among them all most friendly and familiar intercourse. 
There will be no reserve and no concealments. The great 
Father will be known to all, so far as they shall be capa- 
ble of comprehending him. And most intimately shall 
we know our Saviour and our fellow-saints; and to know 
will be t© love, to trust, and to enjoy. And so shall 
there be " fulness of joy, and pleasures forevermore." 




POWER IN RIGHT MUSIC. 



Sd&j. 




HEN we say, "right music," 
we do not mean the " first- 
class music" of which now- 
adays there is such rich 
provision, where skill, exe- 
cution and sound are all that 
the people can carry away 
with them. The music of 
God's house should do a 
deeper work than that. It 
should be adoration, and 
bring solace to many a pained 
and penitent spirit. 

Works of art are good in 
themselves, but oftentimes 
they are far above the masses, 
and even the average church- 
goer. The organ may be 
grand, and the most elaborate 
music may be given by a 
trained quartette, but it never 
has touched and never will 
touch the deep spirit of the 
people. The angels who sang 
above the manger, and now 
sing around the throne, can 
give us a true idea of its 
magnificence. When all the 
people sing, the preacher is more eloquent. There is a 
great deal of truth in the old statement, "Fill the church 
with Gospel music and his Satanic majesty will freeze on 
the top of the steeple." Of course if there is no congre- 
gation, you cannot have good congregational singing, but 
if you do have a large assembly and a good leader, it is 
grand singing, because timid people and people with poor 
voices all sing, and the discord is drowned. There are 

263 



264 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



times when the voice of a multitude is truly wonderful, 
and there are other times when a single sweet voice leads 
to repentance and the Saviour. 

No money or renown can reward a great composer who 
gives to the world such hymns as " Am I a soldier of the 
cross?" "Rock of Ages," or "Jesus, lover of my soul." 
The hymn, if not written with the soul of the author in 
it, is not worth singing in church or anywhere else. Of 
what use are heartless hymns? Did they ever do any 
good? The beginning of every line should start at the 
heart of the Master, and end with our own. 

The Bible has two great hearts — the praying heart and 
the singing heart. The praying heart sways before the 
mercy seat like the golden censer before the Tabernacle, 
and the singing heart warbles forth its praises for mercies 
given, and tells always of the works of God. The grand- 
est song-book ever w T ritten is the Bible. When David 
kissed the marble lips of his boy he sang, " I shall go to 
him," and among the tombs Jesus sang, " I am the resur- 
rection and the life. " So the songs of David thundered 
through Jerusalem when the Ark of God was being brought 
from Obed-edom. 

There was evidently a large place given to music in the 
ancient Church. There were songs of mourning, but there 
were days of singing. The ancients loved music greatly. 
Among the Hebrews, .Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, 
there were many stringed instruments, and marvellous 
were the tunes and the hymns associated with them. 

You read in various places where singers were appointed 
to sing. Nehemiah put singers, joyous men, over the 
house of God. David's songs, too, were sung by the human 
voice and accompanied by instruments. Upon the news 
of victory, you hear an outburst of song, and when the 
tribes came up to the Temple you remember their service 
of song. 

What was prophecy but a song in anticipation of the 
coming Redeemer; or the Gospel, but the advent song 
of redeeming love ? So in a less fervent spirit, per- 
haps, song accompanied the birth of Jesus, and was the 
worship of the Primitive Church. Hear David's songs of 
deliverance in the prayer-meeting at Jerusalem, and from 
the sorrowful hearts at the "Last Supper." 



266 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



The Lord's people do not as a general thing realize the 
immense power there is in right music and song. The 
people's own singing should attract them to the house of 
God. And no one can appreciate the power of Christian 
song in the prayer-meeting and church worship upon the 
morals of a people. 

Many and many a conversion has been brought about by 
the singing of a Christian song, the tender, earnest singing 
that tells of Calvary and the victory of the resurrection; 
for a hymn without a heart is like a heartless sermon ; God 
cares nothing for either. 

Beethoven's affections were great, his reverence for God 
profound. This accounts for the pathos in every strain of 
the great composer's music. Take those old hymns, "All 
hail the power of" Jesus' name" and " Rock of Ages;" im- 
mortal words, living water is always gushing out of them, 
and can the effect be anything but gracious? Surely 
thirsty souls can drink and rejoice. 

It is said that John Newton led more souls to Christ by 
his hymns than his preaching, and Paul recommends " sing- 
ing and making melody in our hearts unto the Lord." 
How many broken strings may be mended in human hearts, 
and trained perhaps for the great orchestra of heaven by 
the singing of some touching hymn. Somehow or some 
way everybody can do this, and though the singer may in 
time be forgotten, the words of the song will long be re- 
membered, and may work out an "exceeding weight of 
glory" to them who are exercised thereby. 




"": -.■-::' . 

" 





LIGHT AND LOVE. 



OD is love." "I am the Light of the 
world." Two wonderful propositions! 
God is love and Jesus is light; so as 
God and his only begotten Son are 
one God, love and light are one. 
Let us consider how love is light. 
God so loved the world that he sent 
his Son to be the light of the world. 
Thus the love sends the light and is 
the light. Think how the love of 
ministers of the Gospel to carry light 
to bring light to darkened intellects, 
inspires to deeds of heroism and self- 
denial, as light causes the seeds to swell and burst in 
their efforts to obtain more light by means of branch and 
leaves. 

To love and light let us add liberty, the glorious liberty 
wherewith Christ doth make us free, free from sin. Light, 
love, and liberty! Three priceless gifts granted to every 
disciple; light to guide us on our way, love to encompass 
and shield us from danger, liberty to forsake sin and ac- 
cept salvation. May we have grace to walk in the light, 
and love the liberty with which Christ has made us free. 
• 267 



God prompts the 
into dark place's, 
Think how love 



ALONE WITH GOD. 




N every instance the man 
who prevails in prayer is 
alone in his communion 
with God. Abraham 
leaves Sarah behind 
him when he pleads 
for Sodom ; and if he 
fails it is because he 
ceases to ask before God 
ceases to grant. Moses 
is by himself beside the 
bush in the wilderness. 
Joshua is alone when Christ comes to 
him as an armed man. Gideon and 
Jephtha are by themselves when commis- 
sioned to save Israel. Once-does Elijah 
raise a child from the dead, and Elisha 
does the same, and in each case not even 
the mothers come in while the prophet, 
alone with God, asks and receives. So 
of Ezekiel, so of Daniel. 

Although others are present, Saul jour- 
neying to Damascus is alone with Christ 
after the light breaks upon him. Cor- 
nelius is praying by himself when the 
angel flashes upon his solitude, nor is 
any one with Peter upon the housetop 
when he is prepared to go to the Gentiles 
for the first time. One John is alone in the wilderness; 
another John is by himself in Patmos, when nearest God. 
It is when alone under his fig-tree in prayer that Jesus sees 
Nathaniel. All religious biography, our own closest com- 
munion and success with God, show what Christ means, 
when, as if it were the only way to pray, he says: "And 
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and w T hen 
thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in 
secret, and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward 
thee openly." 

268 * 



EUROCLYDON. 




CURIOUS wind 
is the Euroclyclon. 
The name was 
i v e n to a gale 
that at the present 
time is called a Levanter. 
It is described as a whirl- 
wind or typhoon, accom- 
panied by terrific gusts 
from the high mountains. 
And before we speak of the celebrated voyage mentioned 
in the history of Paul, let us notice that he had been tried 
as to his faith in Jesus of Nazareth before Festus Porcius, 
the Procurator of Judea, and in the presence of Herod, 
Agrippa, and Bernice, his sister, who had come to him in 
great pomp. It was to entertain them that Paul was 
brought forth into the judgment-hall of the palace. 

No fault was found with his manly defence of his faith, 
and he would have been set at liberty if, as a Roman,' 
he had not appealed unto Caesar (Nero the Emperor)! 
Therefore Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band, received 
Paul and certain other prisoners, and set sail with them 
for Italy. Julius was very kind to Paul, and when, the next 
day after they had sailed, the ship touched at Sidon, the 
apostle was granted liberty to go ashore and see his friends. 
Many days thereafter they sailed slowly on account of 
adverse winds, and they kept close to 'the islands, for 
their sailing was dangerous, and they began to look about 
for a safe harbor. 

269 



270 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



The south wind blew softly, and supposing the danger 
passed, they drew up their anchors and sailed close by 
Crete. But just as they thought themselves safe, a tempes- 
tuous wind arose, called Euroclydon, and the ship was so 
caught that they had to let her drive. This trying north- 
easterly gale had continued fourteen days and nights, nei- 
ther sun nor star coming into view in the dull, leaden sky, 
and the heavy rain falling over them made them look for^ 
ward to certain shipwreck, and they lost all hope of safety. 

There was great danger that they should be driven into 
the Syrtes, on the North African coast. The Syrtes or 
quicksands (the word being derived from Sert, an Arabic 
word for desert) were an object of peculiar dread to sailors. 
The drifting sands, the intense heat along the shore, the 
shallow water, and the rocks that were hidden under the 
current, added to the north-easterly gale, were enough to 
alarm all those in the ship. 

But the dear Lord had them in keeping, and although 
they were doomed to lose the ship, to teach them a lesson 
for not hearkening to his message through his servant, 
Paul, yet they were saved, and the two hundred three 
score and sixteen souls escaped safely to land, some on 
boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. 

Do we need to go to the Mediterranean to find an 
Euroclydon? God often speaks to us, but we do not 
listen because our ears are occupied with the south wind 
that blows softly, lulling our senses and luring us to de- 
struction, and then to save us, even if by the shipwreck 
of all that we care for and possess, there arises an Euro- 
clydon. For days and nights, winds blow and toss us 
about, not a star by night, not a ray of sun by day comes 
into our sight, and we grope about in the gloom, agoniz- 
ing to find a place to cast anchor; quicksands so treacher- 
ous that their shifting particles threaten to draw us upon 
the rocks that will shipwreck us are before us; and while 
we grope, Jesus says, "Peace, be still," and immediately 
there is a great calm. Did we think he was asleep, deaf 
to our danger while the wind beat the ship, so that it was 
likely to sink? Why are we so fearful — why is our faith 
so small? Ah! even the wind and the sea obey him. 

Through fourteen days and nights of storm, Paul, who 
loved God, and who had been told that he would be brought 



EUROCLYDON. 



271 



safely to land, never lost courage. Is it any harder for 
us to trust God to bring us through an Euroclydon ? 

" Learn to wait ! Life's hardest lesson, 
Conned perhaps through blinding tears, 
While the heart-throbs sadly echo 
To the tread of passing years. 

" Constant sunshine, fondly welcomed, 
Doth not ripen fruit or flower; 
Giant oaks owe strength and greatness 
To the tempest's scathing power. 

" Thus the soul untouched by sorrow 

Aims not at a brighter state: 

Joy seeks not a brighter morrow; 

Only sad hearts learn to wait. 

" Human strength and human greatness 
Spring not from life's sunny side; 
Heroes must be more than driftwood 
Floating on a waveless tide." 




THE PRINCE OF PEACE. 



His name shall be called the Prince of Peace." — Isa. ix. 6. 




HLE rest of the Prince of Peace 
comes only to the soul that 
treads the path of obedience. 
That path may be full of thorns, 
it may lead us into thickest 
darkness, to bear mental and 
physical suffering daily, to take 
up the innumerable duties of 
the household or of the work- 
shop, to go forth like Abraham, 
not knowing whither. Be it so! 
As with him, every step of the 
way will be sweet, holiest rest 
to our souls. That rest is " the 
rest of faith." The sun shall 
no more go down for such a 
traveller. Pillowed upon the bosom of Jesus, yet mount- 
ing still higher with unfaltering footsteps — up, up the 
steeps of life to the final goal — we shall enter at the last 
upon that rest which " remaineth for the people of God." 
But even this shall not be inactivity, nor selfish enjoy- 
ment, nor consummated revelations. Onward! upward! 
in the songs of those who" rest not day nor night," in the 
ceaseless disclosures of infinite love, in the ever-increas- 
ing glory of the " beatific vision." Oh, bright land, so 
restful even in anticipation, thou art not very far away! 
When our weary feet shall press thy sacred soil, when our 
eyes shall feast upon thy ever-widening landscape, one 
voice shall rise above the acclaim of the innumerable 
company of the redeemed — the voice of the Lamb before 
the throne. That voice, "I will give you rest," ofttimes 
has stilled the tempest of our earthly grief. Now, ever- 
more, it shall be the full, increasing melody of our celes- 
tial home. 

272 




1 8 



THE PRIXCE OF PEACE. 



273 



GIVING UP OLD HOPES. 




ANY years ago I prepared a 
sermon, in which it was 
my endeavor to persuade 
all who might listen to it 
to give up any hope that 
they might cherish. 1 
took the ground that many 
hopes are worthless; that 
they must be given up 
soon or late, and that it 
would be wiser to give 
them up now, than when 
too late to get something 
better. And I also went farther, and said that even were 
a person's hope a good one, it would do him no harm to 
relinquish it and to hope anew. 

But I postponed preaching the sermon from time to time, 
until I finally destroyed it and it was never preached. I 
felt that while the preaching of it might be beneficial to 
some, it might be harmful to others. I feared its effect 
upon some of God's dear, trembling children; I would not 
break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, and 
so I hesitated and finally gave the sermon to the flames, 
which I have never seen cause to regret. 

But there is many a long-cherished hope that must 
fail when God shall have taken away the soul, if not be- 
fore; and the sooner it is relinquished the better. It is a 
hope that was taken up without any good reason, and it 
has never been attended with any appropriate fruits. Its 
possessor does not live essentially different from what he 
did before, nor from the mass of men around him. He 
gives no satisfactory evidence that he has ever been born 
again. He is controlled by worldly principles. His affec- 
tions are supremely on earthly things; and for these he 
lives supremely, making it his great aim to get worldly 
goods. Better, a thousand times better, were it for such a 
man had he no hope. So long as he clings to the one that 
he already has, be will not seek a better, and there is great 
danger that he will die sheltered in a refuge of lies which 
the first view of eternal realities will forever sweep away. 

274 




ADVANTAGES OF 
CONFESSING 

CHRIST. 

ISTINCTLY from 
our Saviour's lips 
comes the declara- 
tion, " He that is 
not with me is 
against me," and 
the words are plain 
and unequivocal. 
They have a seri- 
o u s meaning for 
all who are not dis- 
tinctively with 
Christ on the 
Lord's side, for 
they contain a 
declaration of war. 
There are only two 
parties in religious 
matters; there are 
only two camps, only two 
sides. Are we with Christ 
and working in his cause? 
If not we are doing harm. 
There are many persons who 
need to have this truth 
pressed upon them. They 
endeavor to steer a middle 
course in religion; they are 
not as bad as many sinners, 
but still they are not saints. 
They feel the truth of 
Christ's gospel when it is brought before them, but they 
are afraid to confess this feeling. Because they have 

275 



276 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

these feelings they flatter themselves that they are not as 
bad as some others, and yet they shrink from the standard 
of faith and practice which Jesus sets up. They are not 
boldly on Christ's side, yet they are not openly against it. 
But this sentence of our Lord's cuts the ground from be- 
neath the feet of those who hesitate about standing openly 
on the Lord's side. People say that this entering into 
fellowship with the church is a very serious matter; it 
must not be decided hastily; and so on the ground of its 
seriousness it is postponed, and postponed indefinitely. 
It is really too serious a matter to be put off from time to 
time. The one thing that we should dread is this, that 
when the voice of the Master is heard saying, " Take my 
yoke upon you," we should stop for a moment and 
listen, and then pass on and give him no answer. That is 
indeed a very grave and serious responsibility to take, and 
when he invites us to the feast of his love, to turn away 
in indifferent silence is truly a serious matter — a responsi- 
bility to be dreaded. 

There is ever a separation existing between the follow- 
ers of the Lord and the world, and it must needs be a 
wall of separation, for Christians, while they are in the 
world, are not of it. 

The Lord justly asks some mark of distinction from 
them, not that he may know them, but that the world 
may, and the brethren may. Surely it is not possible to 
be a secret Christian. We cannot surrender ourselves 
wholly to the Master, and yet refuse the public acknowl- 
edgment of his authority. 

In the kingdoms of this world no one is admitted to the 
privileges of citizenship without a profession of allegiance, 
and surely it is not unreasonable that as much should 
be expected from those who desire to enter God's kingdom. 
"I cannot decide to be a Christian," is the answer of 
many upon whom the claims of Christ are urged, but they 
forget that they do decide whenever the subject is brought 
before them. To say, " I cannot decide for Christ to-day," 
is another way of saying, " I can and do decide to refuse 
the service of Christ to-day." A choice is made one 
way or the other, for it only requires a negative position 
to be in direct opposition. 

We must allow, at least, enough to God's wisdom to be- 



ADVANTAGES OF CONFESSING CHRIST. 277 

lieve that he instituted the Church and its sacraments for 
some purpose which could not otherwise be accomplished. 
That purpose evidently was to make palpable the differ- 
ence between his people and the world. How, then, can 
a man keep the fact of his being a Christian secret, when 
Christianity has been made to assume a visible, organized 
form by its author? A Christian is one, moreover, who 
obeys Christ, and desires to follow all his commands. 
How can one be a Christian who leaves out of account the 
tenderest and almost the last of his Saviour's commands, 
" This do in remembrance of me ?" This simple, touching 
service, so full of tender associations, commemorates the 
Saviour's dying love. Can any one hope that he is a 
Christian whose lips have never touched the sacramental 
cup, and thus obeyed Christ's dying command? 

One of the reasons for public confession is the useful- 
ness of the act. How much more one's zeal is drawn out 
when he has declared himself for any cause, and he par- 
takes of the spirit of the party! That which is kept con- 
cealed within is apt to lose much of its hold upon us; it 
is by speaking of it and acting upon it that we feel most 
of its impression and influence. There is no feeling more 
strengthening to any one than the feeling that he is not 
standing alone. So it is a joy to feel that one is part of 
a great system working for one end, to feel that he is a 
fellow-laborer with apostles, martyrs, prophets, saints, 
even with Christ himself. We can never be fully aware 
of the usefulness of the ordained means of grace. The 
public worship of God is of inestimable value to mankind. 
In the midst of the cares and toils of life God is known 
in his palaces for a refuge. There the tempted are suc- 
cored, the weak are strengthened, the wandering directed, 
and the oppressed relieved. The sanctuary opens a door 
for the weary and heavy laden to enter and refresh them- 
selves. According to his promise Jesus is with his Church 
to the end of days; there he is most often found of his 
people, and draws most graciously near to them, supply- 
ing all their needs with the riches of his grace. It is a 
source of strength to feel, therefore, that we have a place 
there as well as a secure retreat. 

Merely joining the Church is not a source of safety, 
simply to profess faith in Christ is not to possess it; and 



278 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



without faith we cannot be saved. All who are enrolled 
upon the records of the Church have not their names 
written in the Lamb's book of life, so by the safety of a 
public declaration is meant merely that it fortifies individ- 
uals against temptations and evil influences. It puts the 
longest possible distance between the old life and the new. 
It cuts us off forever from the old life of sin, and hence- 
forth we are bound to serve the Lord. 

But far above both of these considerations is the greater 
one that by declaring ourselves upon the Lord's side, we 
gain the consciousness of having obeyed Christ. Not 
in the sense of a recommendation would this reason be 
urged, but because our consciences rest freer from the 
charge of ingratitude, when we remember all that Christ 
has done for us and can look up into the face of our 
Saviour, and say, " Touched by thy love I give myself to 
thee, O Christ." 

There is, of necessity, something which precedes public 
confession — the work of grace on the heart. If we do not 
believe on Christ, and determine to take him as our Sa- 
viour, of course there will be no profession to make, save 
a false profession; but if we purpose to give ourselves to 
Christ, and take him for our portion, then it should be 
done openly; for this is the standard by which we are 
judged, " He that is not with me is against me." 





OUR 

RESPONSIBILITY. 



ID each professing Christian 
in the world to-day realize 
the tremendous responsibil- 
ity that rests upon all be- 
lievers to make their faith 
known to those who are yet 
in darkness, to spread the 
Gospel of glad tidings to 
their perishing fellow-men, 
and act as men would do 
under a sense of such re- 
sponsibility, we should not 
have to wait long for the complete regeneration of man- 
kind. If we believe in our hearts, as we profess to do, 
that those who do not make their peace with God in this 
life have no opportunity for repentance hereafter and are 
doomed to eternal despair, a doctrine which the Bible 
plainly teaches, how can we do less than manifest the 
utmost concern for the conversion of our fellow-men and 
especially those who are dear to us by ties of blood or 
friendship? If we saw one whom our hearts held dear 
carelessly drifting down a rapid stream towards a plung- 
ing cataract and inevitable destruction, how quickly we 
would sound the note of warning ; with what frantic energy 
we would hasten to rescue him from the fatal flood. We 
would not give him up in despair because of his indif- 
ference to his. own fate, or his repeated rejection of prof- 
fered assistance. No; we would follow him with increas- 
ing energy of appeal, and in an agony of soul that words 
cannot express, to the verge of the cataract, if haply we 
might reach him even there. How can we show less so- 
licitude for the safety of those who are slowly but surely 
drifting down the river of life to a fate far worse than that 
encountered in the foam of a material cataract? 

In this respect our demeanor towards those who are out 

279 



280 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

of Christ, our feeble efforts in dissuading friends from 
evil courses, our apparent unconcern respecting even those 
who are very near to us by ties of blood, practically belies 
our profession of belief in the awful fate which awaits 
those who die unrepentant. It is one of the most incom- 
prehensible things to the sceptical mind that men who 
assert their belief in the eternal punishment of the wicked 
should put forth so little effort to save others from such a 
terrible end. And it is not strange that this should be 
looked upon as a practical denial of the assertion itself. 
Men are too frequently disposed to shift the responsibil- 
ity of this work of evangelism upon the shoulders of the 
few — upon the ministry, upon the teacher of the Sabbath- 
school, upon the more devout brethren of the church. 
They act as though, having made their own profession 
of faith, they have fulfilled all the duties which God re- 
quires of them. Seemingly assured of their own salvation, 
they wrap their cloaks of righteousness about them and 
pass on unmindful of the fate of those who are perishing 
in their sins. Such are selfish Christian lives — very little 
of Christ and very much of self. If a man has found a 
goodly treasure, a boundless and inexhaustible supply of 
sweet and precious things, he will not be so ungenerous as 
to keep his discovery to himself, since there is enough to 
supply all who can come — all the world if need be. 
Neither will he who has once tasted of the riches of redeem- 
ing love, who has drunk at the fountain of the water of 
life, desire to keep that knowledge to himself. Rather 
will he cry aloud in the fervor of his soul to all his fellow- 
men, " O come, and taste and see that the Lord is good." 



HOW ARE WE BUILDING? 




E are building a structure, not as 
an ornament, not for time only, 
but a building of far more im- 
portance and of far greater 
duration. 

" Our to-clays and yesterdays 

Are the blocks with which we build." 

Slowly and silently the work is 
being carried on, so silently that 
those who stand nearest to us 
cannot see our work. They hear 
no sound; yet in the solemn 
silence we are building — build- 
ing for eternity ! 

Every word, good or bad; 
every deed that is noticed by the 
all-searching eye of God; every 
thought, pure as those of the 
angels or smirched with sin; 
every impulse born of a God- 
given spirit, or every sin-laden 
action of which we need to feel ashamed, one and all are 
the material with which our structure will be raised. 

Shall the temple that we raise be strong in the Lord, 
fitted for the Master's use, worthy to be commended at the 
last day? Or, shall our building, which we have raised 
during the years of our life, be only fit to be cast down 
and trodden, as unfit for a part of that city where " there 
shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither 
shall there be any more pain. The city has no need of 
the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the Lamb 
is the light thereof " ? 

Are we in God's sight building for our own salvation, 
for our own comfort and peace here and hereafter ? How 
are we building for eternity ? 

" We shape ourselves the joy or fear 
Of which the coming life is made, 
And fill our future's atmosphere 
With sunshine or with shade." 
281 




THE MASTER IMPULSE. 



N this, it seems to me, we have the 
secret of a Christian life. A man is a 
Christian when the master-motive of 
his life is love of Christ, when that 
is the germ which assimilates and co- 
ordinates all its forces. Jesus Christ 
is the central form of Christianity, and 
he who loves him supremely is adopted 
into the family of the redeemed. Sometimes in 
reading the New Testament we wonder at the 
absolute self-assertion of Christ. He claims a 
place in the heart above that given to the most 
sacred of human relationships. " He that loveth 
father or mother more than me is not worthy of 
me: and he that loveth son or daughter more 
than me is not worthy of me." (Matt. x. 37.) 
The reason is that for the man to belong to 
Christ at all, the love of Christ must be the de- 
sire which crystallizes his life; the co-ordinat- 
ing germ which determines what he shall be. 
Wheat and tares may grow together in the field; but if 
the tares are assimilating to themselves the forces of the 
earth, and leaving to the wheat only a starving and sickly 
growth, you cannot properly call that " a wheat field." 
One must be first ; " No man can serve two masters. " The 
stream cannot flow both ways at once. One must be 
first in the Christian heart. God will put up with a great 
many things in the human heart, but there is one thing 
he will not put up with — a second place. 




2S2 




LIGHT IS SOWN FOR THE 
RIGHTEOUS. 




N their pilgrimage 
through this world, the 
people of God often 
walk in darkness. The 
light does not always 
shine upon their path. 
Sometimes they are in 
the dark as to their 
being the people of 
God. They are exer- 
cised with doubts and 
fears in this regard. 
Sometimes the face of 
their Father is hidden 
from them. They do 
not always walk in the 
light of his countenance. And not infrequently his provi- 
dences concerning them are veiled in darkness. " Gloomy 
clouds his ways surround." So it was with respect to 

283 



284 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Job and Jacob and David. And so always has been 
and still is with respect to large numbers of God's dear 
people. 

But let them take courage. Light is sown for them; 
sown by the hand of their Father; and it will spring up 
in an abundant and joyful harvest. Sooner or later light 
will arise unto them, and gladness will cheer their hearts. 
So it is oftentimes here in this present world. Here not 
infrequently the clouds break, and the shadows flee away. 
So it was in the case of Jacob, who so sadly grieved for 
the loss of his beloved Joseph. Instead of going down 
into the grave unto his son mourning, as in his sore 
bereavement he said he would, the cheering news at 
length came to him that Joseph was yet alive, and that 
he was governor over all the land of Egypt. The cap- 
tivity of Job, too, was ere long turned, and the Lord 
blessed his latter end more than his beginning. And 
David was permitted to sing: "Thou hast turned for me 
my mourning into dancing; thou- hast put off my sack- 
cloth, and girded me with gladness." Nor have similar 
experiences been uncommon with the people of God in 
all ages. If not sooner, it has often been their experience 
that at even-time it has been light. 

But it is more especially in another world that the har- 
vest of light and gladness shall be reaped. More or less 
of darkness may attend the people of God all along their 
pilgrimage here to the end. But they will bid a final 
farewell to it all at death. Then they will be intro- 
duced to a world of which it is said: "There shall be 
no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of 
the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they 
shall reign forever and ever." No more shall they be 
troubled with perplexing doubts as to their spiritual state. 
No more shall their Father's face be hid. No more shall 
dark providences frown upon them. " The Lord shall be 
their everlasting life, and the days of their mourning shall 
be ended." 

" Immortal light and joys unknown 
Are for the saints in darkness sown ; 
There glorious seeds shall spring and rise, 
And the bright harvest fill our eyes." 




THE DEVICES OF 



THE TEMPTER. 



HE devices of the tempter to 

win men away from God are 

manifold and contrived with 

the greatest cunning. He does 

not tempt all men in the same 

way; he is as various in his 

devices as the chameleon in 

his colors. What a difference, 

for instance, between the 

tempter of Judas to the dark 

deed of betrayal, and the 

tempter who came to Christ with words 

of Scripture upon his lips. Judas 

needed no perversion of Scripture to 

tempt him — the greed of his soul was 

sufficient ; but on the other hand the one 

possible chance of tempting the Son of 

God was through the Scriptures. 

Every one is tempted according to his 
nature and circumstances, and where 
one form of evil fails another is tried. 
The great fact confronts us all, whether 
we are Christians or not, that we have a 
great enemy who is continually devising 
mischief against us. In the case of 
those who are out of Christ, the one ob- 
ject of the tempter is to keep them away 
from him, and if he succeeds in this 
purpose his object is gained. His de- 
vice with them is to blind their eyes to the truth, to lull 
them into security and keep them in fancied peace, and if 
the conscience can be quieted and the higher faculties be- 
numbed, then the soul is his. 

Christ was tempted immediately after his baptism, so 
285 



286 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

we need not be surprised if the enemy makes his fiercest 
onslaughts upon us just after some high spiritual privilege. 
His malevolence and jealousy cannot endure the sight of 
our communion with God. He sees our happy state of 
mind, and how joyful our hearts are, and then he comes 
and tries to change our joy into levity, our relation into 
presumption. It is no unusual thing for a young Chris- 
tian to descend from the top of the delectable mountains 
into the valley of humiliation; even in the hour of the 
first love there has been more than one who has fallen 
directly into sin. 

Then comes a sudden revulsion of feeling, a loss of all 
joy and peace. We feel as if we were greater sinners 
than ever, and had never found Christ at all, and this is 
one of the devices of the tempter to bring men to despair. 
Oftener he has a subtler device than that, one that takes 
more time to develop, but is more likely to have lasting 
results, and, strange to say, that device is not to tempt the 
young Christian at all. We deal with one who is an adept 
in cunning arts and wily snares, so we must expect strange 
things. He will not put an obstacle in the young Chris- 
tian's path; he will give him a free path and let him go 
singing on his way; but there is the deepest philosophy 
in this. Oftentimes there is not much to be gained by 
tempting one who has just found Christ; the heart is too 
much taken up with his love to have room for anything 
else, and so our enemy leaves the soul unmolested to en- 
joy its happiness. But we can foresee the effects. Days, 
weeks, and even months go by— the longer time the more 
danger — and all is well. We begin to think that the 
Christian life is the easiest thing in the world, and it is 
no trouble to do right, while we w T onder how the enemy 
ever gained the ascendancy over us. Finding no temp- 
tations in our path, we begin to relax our watchfulness, 
to call in the sentinels as unnecessary, and cease to pray for 
the strength w r e never feel the need of, and so the device 
of the tempter succeeds. All these months of quiet have 
had that one end in view, to catch the soul off its guard 
and keep it so much at ease that it will cease to be 
watchful. Such a period of calm, when muscles are 
relaxed and the soul at ease, is the enemy's grand oppor- 
tunity. Then, if ever, there is need of increased watchful- 



THE DEVICES OF THE TEMPTER. 287 

ness and a determined effort against che carelessness that 
does not seem sinful. For the enemy will come with 
subtlety; he will take care not to alarm us with too open 
a temptation; his approach will be with the serpent's 
guile, and his motto, " Little things lead to great things." 

He will persuade us to see how near we can come to 
danger and not be hurt ; how much we can associate with 
ungodly companions; how much vice we can see without 
becoming vicious; how much unholy conversation we can 
hear without losing our spirituality. But there is danger 
there. If we go nearer and nearer to the edge of a 
precipice we will come within the actual reach of gravi- 
tation, which compromises with no one. The Christian 
who runs no risk willingly is the one to be relied upon. 
Many fall through being too remiss, but none through 
being too scrupulous. If we avoid that which is evil and 
keep close to Christ we are safe. Sometimes the enemy's 
device will be to lead us into little sins first, persuading 
us to do or leave undone something so minute, so near the 
boundary of good and evil, that it can hardly be called a 
sin. They used to bridge chasms by shooting an arrow- 
across to the other side, carrying a thread as fine as a film, 
but that thread drew after it a small string, and that 
string carried a rope, and the rope a cable, so that soon 
the impassable gulf crossed by a thread was spanned by a 
bridge. Our arch-enemy is wise enough to profit by this 
device and use it for his own purposes. 

It is only a thought that he shoots into the mind, but 
the thought brings desire, and desire is father to the act, 
and the act strengthens into habit — strong and hard to 
break. Let us remember, when tempted to despair of 
fighting this cunning enemy, that we have a great High 
Priest wearing our own nature, who by being tempted 
himself is able to sympathize with and succor all who put 
their trust in him. 




told hi 
heard 



THEIR EYES WERE HOLDEN. 

r 



WO of the disciples (one named Cle- 
opas, the other, some conjecture, 
Luke) were going from Jerusa- 
lem to Emmaus, a village that lay 
some sixty furlongs, or seven and 
a half miles, from the city, prob- 
ably to enjoy the warm baths that 
were for public use. As they 
journeyed along the steep road up the moun- 
tain they talked no doubt of Jesus of Naza- 
reth. Along came another traveller, as it 
seemed to them a stranger in Jerusalem ; and 
he asked of what they were conversing that 
they looked so sad. With astonishment they 
m that, even if he were a stranger, he ought to have 
of Jesus, a prophet, a mighty man who had been 
288 




THEIR EYES WERE HOLDEN. 289 

doing such wonderful things, and whom the chief priests 
and rulers had crucified; and this to their disappointment, 
for they had hoped that he was their coming Messiah, 
who was to redeem Israel. He chided them for believing 
that Christ was not to suffer death in order to enter into 
glory — quoting many predictions from the writings of 
Moses and the prophets concerning the Christ. 

They did not know that he was talking of himself, 
for " their eyes were holden that they should not know 
him." And so they reached the little village and the 
house of Cleophas, and although the stranger seemed to 
desire to go farther, they persuaded him to tarry and 
sup with them before returning- to the city of Jerusalem 
to hold the sacred meeting, with the doors closed for 
fear of the Jews; at the same time Jesus lifted up his 
hands to bless them, and said, "Peace be unto you." 
And while they broke bread after he had blessed it, their 
eyes were opened and they knew him. 

Do you live in the great city of Jerusalem? do you 
enjoy its cares and its pleasures, day by day ? Do you 
walk in a valley of shadows, or up the steep hill to the 
sunlight? Are you alone, are you tired and foot-sore, is 
the climbing hard? As you get up two steps do you fall 
back two ? Can you see afar off the streets paved with gold, 
the gates of pearl, and the light of the city, which is the 
Lamb ? Do you carry a heavy cross that would be lighter 
if you lookeJ up to the Saviour who bore a heavier cross 
out to the place called Golgotha, beyond the gates of the 
city? Do you fret because you can never lay the cross 
down ? Do you forget that 

" Thy weary path shall lead in light, 

And hope e'en now makes sorrow bright " ? 

Have you not entered into the rest that remaineth for 
you, not after death, not beyond the grave, but here, to- 
day, this moment? Can you not just take it? Are you 
walking alone ? Your eyes are holden that you cannot 
know that at your side, talking with you, is the dear 
Saviour whom you seek. So near that your gentlest 
whisper comes to the ear that is ever open to the cry of 
his children. Are your eyes holden wilfully? Do you 
not see Jesus with white robes washed in his own blood 

l 9 



290 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



beside you? Do you have to walk many furlongs with 
him without seeing him? Is the village to which you are 
going to enjoy your own pleasure the only object to which 
you look with such longing eyes that they are holden so 
that you cannot know him ? 

Open your eyes and see Jesus at your side, able and 
willing to do far more for you than you can ask or think. 
Live with the certain knowledge that Jesus is walking 
beside you, quite near, talking with you as friend with 
friend — your Elder Brother. 

" Live! though life hath deepest sadness, 
Still it fits thee for the end, 
And with grief is mingled gladness, 
Blossoms o'er the thorn bush bend. 

M Hark ! from out the shining portals 
Comes a gush of spirit-song: 
List, ye pale and sorrowing mortals, 
Learn to suffer and be strong." 




THE DAILY TASK. 



" Awake, my soul, and with the sun 
Thy daily stage of duty run; 
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise 
To pay thy morning sacrifice." 

HE inspiring words of this grand 
old morning hymn are full of 
power to call us cheerfully to the 
routine of life, to help us to con- 
tentment with our lot, and to 
beget within us a joyful and 
peaceful submission to the will 
of Providence and the call of 
duty. It is very true that the 
contemplation of our day's work 
is dreary enough ; we have pur- 
sued the same monotonous round 
perhaps for many days or years, 
and each succeeding day brings 
with it only the promise that its 
predecessors have brought — a 
round of well-known and oft-performed duties. 

Yet to those who are called upon thus to pass their days 
upon earth, there is very much in such a life that is cal- 
culated to instruct us in those weighty matters and eternal 
things which go to make up that perfected nature becoming 
to those who entertain the hope of an immortal state of 
existence. " Let patience have her perfect work, " says the 
Apostle. Truly patience is a wonderfully perfecting 
principle, and when incorporated fully into the Christian 
life leaves little to be desired; yet let all the other moral 
virtues be present, if patience be lacking we come sadly 
short of even that degree of perfection which will satisfy 
the demands of an unbelieving and exacting world. Pa- 
tience is more than mere endurance. Many have learned 
to endure who have not learned to be truly patient. 

It is not until we realize, by having the truth constantly 
forced upon us, that we are among that large number who 

291 




292 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



have been called by God to perform tedious and per- 
haps for the most part apparently trivial duties — not 
until then, we being faithful, does the peace of a con- 
tented life reign within us. And that peace brings with it, 
too, in most cases, the best opportunity to rise to higher 
and more useful things. It is rarely indeed that truly 
great or good lives have not grown in a most natural way 
out of the faithfully performed routine of average life; 
and if those of us who are discontented with our daily 
tasks have not learned this truth, and are impatient 
because we imagine we might more profitably employ our 
time for ourselves and others, we leave unlearned a most 
useful lesson. 

The faithful performance of our daily task — be that 
task a great or an humble one — discharges our responsi- 
bility in the sight of God as effectually in the one case 
as in the other. Great minds are called to do great 
things, and if the possessors of great talents do not ulti- 
mately bring them into use, the reason will almost inva- 
riably be that they have not patiently performed those 
humble duties which would, like stepping-stones, have 
led them to the haven of their desires. There is too 
much ambition among Christians to do something impor- 
tant and striking. Such an ambition is evil, since it 
begets a spirit of proud impatience and entails the 
great loss of a peaceful and contented mind. The truth 
is often lost sight of that, even if the ambitious should, 
by dint of hard work, attain the object of their hopes, 
and be talked about as having done something of impor- 
tance, the risk is exceedingly great, and they will forfeit 
the blessing promised to the poor in spirit. If we are 
destined to fill a striking position in life, the sooner 
we learn faithfully and patiently to perform our daily 
tasks — however humble and mean they appear to be — the 
sooner shall we fulfil our destiny. 




SUNLIGHT IN AUTUMNAL DAYS. 



REARY November is usually 
associated with the 
thought of chilling winds, 
the falling of rustling 
leaves, sombre skies, and 
days that are " the saddest 
of the year." Yet how 
often in walking abroad 
on a November day the air 
is found to be bracing, 
clear, and delightful. 
True, the mellow light of 
the earlier fall no longer 
lies athwart the pathway, 
and no song of birds greets 
the ear, but there are yet 
gleams of bright sunlight, 
and cheery sounds are in 
the air. There is very much to be enjoyed in November 
days. What if the breezes are somewhat crisp as they 

293 




294 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



whisk to and fro, there is health in the ruddy glow they 
send to the cheek, and the walk or drive can be a brisk 
one with no fear of suffering either from heat or cold. It 
is time for sunlight to grow pale, for leaves to fall from 
the trees, for puss to seek the cosey chimney-corner rather 
than the breezy roof, and for the canary to enjoy the 
shelter of the warm sitting-room rather than the broad, 
free outlook from the piazza beam. Seldom, and yet 
more seldom, do the older members of the family care to 
venture out, for the uncertain sunlight is too suggestive 
of the caprices of the weather-vane, which may fly around 
from westward to eastward point so suddenly that one 
of those trying colds might be the result which elderly 
people especially dread to have "settle in the fall," too 
often to "stay by" all winter. Never is the pleasant 
shelter of the snug home more enjoyable than when the 
winds begin to whistle, the leaves to go scurrying by, and 
everything outside of the house indicates the change 
that is creeping over the great world of nature. But over 
all the glad sun yet shines, and despite the bare hedges 
and leafless trees, the cold ground and hurrying feet, the 
blessed sunlight smiles and dances. And if its beams rise 
late and depart early, it is only because in obedience to 
Nature's laws it must be so. Old age is fittingly likened 
to the declining sunlight of autumnal days. Many and 
many a weary toiler longs for the fervid heat of summer 
to be past, and the cooling breezes of autumn to come and 
refresh the overworked brain and feverish brow. There 
is something restful in the hush of nature when the season 
of growth and of harvest is past. It would seem that the 
tired earth is resting after having brought forth bread 
for the eater. 

When the autumn of life comes on there has usually 
been quite enough of labor and anxiety experienced to 
make the quiet, restful days full of welcome. Nor need 
they be at all devoid of sunlight — the rare, sweet sunlight 
of God's loving grace, and the calm, clear shining of a 
peaceful, contented existence. This is presuming, of 
course, that the life is a religious one, that God and 
Christ dwell in the heart and make sunlight there. It 
would be hard to imagine anything much sadder or more 
desolate than an old person with no love for God or relig- 




SUNLIGHT IN AUTUMNAL DAYS. 



295 



296 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

ion in the soul. It seems as though a long life spent 
without God or the fruits of the Spirit must prove an 
empty and utterly sunless existence at the last. Seneca 
says: "There is nothing more disgraceful than that an 
old man should have nothing to produce as a proof that 
he has lived long except his years." A wasted life.! 
What more deplorable picture could be contemplated? 
The sun never looks upon the world through autumnal 
skies, but everywhere it views its fructifying influences; 
the corn it has helped to ripen, the flowers it has bright- 
ened, the hearts it has gladdened with its glorious rays. 
But for an old person to look back over a life unillumined 
by rays from the Sun of Righteousness, unhallowed by 
Christly deeds, unblessed by the sweet influence of relig- 
ion, is sad indeed. 

We venture to hope, however, that there are few if any 
such lives among the readers of " The Christian Life." 
The very cares against which human nature cries out, the 
afflictions, the adversity, the pain, in short, the general 
discipline of life, is blessed. in making religion a neces- 
sity as well as a comfort and support for nearly all, long 
before old age brings some relief from constant toil and 
care. And in like manner as the welcome sunlight comes 
creeping in at the closed window, shining along the floor 
and resting on every object it can reach, the same genial, 
cheerful sunlight in autumnal as in summer days, even so 
let our dear old friends remember that the sunlight of 
God's love is ever about them. And unlike the sunlight 
which warms the earth, the diviner light never grows dis- 
tant, nor its rays pale and uncertain, but like goodness in 
the soul, and like the path of the just, it grows brighter 
and brighter, and " shineth more and more unto the per- 
fect day." 




THE WILL OF GOD. 



OING the will of God is para- 
mount to every other considera- 
tion. Those of us accustomed 
in years gone by to the study of 
the Assemblies' Shorter Cate- 
chism have been taught that 
" man's chief end is to glorify God 
and enjoy him forever." From 
this it would seem naturally to 
follow that the end of life should 
be, not only to secure one's own 
salvation but also the salvation of 
as many others as possible. If Chris- 
tians believe that the wicked shall go 
away into everlasting punishment and 
the righteous into life eternal, it would 
seem that the winning of souls must be 
paramount'to every other consideration. whatever. 

Christ came to save souls, but what says he concerning 
the terms of salvation? " Not every one that saith unto 
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; 
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven." And what says the Saviour of his own mission 
on the earth? "Lo! I come to do thy will, O God." It 
will in deed and in truth be the maximum achievement of 
any life after it is over, to have done the will of God. 
And this means so much, so very much more than merely 
having actively done good in a general way, or even 
having won souls to Christ. It involves cross-bearing, 
the patient endurance of manifold temptations, a willing- 
ness to forgive that almost limitless number of offences — 
the "seventy times seven." It means a fearless facing of 
every event sent into our lives, with no cowardly attempts 
to creep under or to soar above, or in any way to elude 
meeting and accepting the will of God. 

2Q7 




THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



A strict performance of a Christian's duty will almost 
inevitably call for deeds involving the "doing good" and 
the "winning souls" which attach so strongly to every 
truly consecrated life. Yet the lonely sentinel, the bed- 
ridden professor, the deaf mute — all, in every state and 
station of life, can learn to do the will of God. Very 
often it requires great faith, great strength, many prayers, 
to do and meet what -we know or feel to be the will of 
God, but it is an achievement when at last this can be 
done with calmness and serenity. There is little danger 
that any one truly desiring to do the will of the Father 
will be left in the dark as to what duty requires. David's 
prayer is one that all can offer, that should often be on 
the lips of all Christ's followers: "Teach me to do thy 
will; for thou art my God." 





CONQUER AS YOU GO. 



OES a skilful general, as 
he advances into an ene- 
my's country, leave cities 
behind him half subdued, 
fortresses half dismantled, 
armies half subjugated to 
rise in his rear and attack 
him unexpectedly? We 
must adopt the same tac- 
tics in the Christian war- 
fare : Conquer as you go ; 
keep your enemies in front 
of you. Have you an evil habit? Don't try to get 
around it; don't overlook it or leave it partially subdued, 
but attack it bravely, manfully; conquer it wholly, and 
then march on. Have you done an injury to a fellow- 
man ? Have you been unjust or dishonest or false ? Make 
reparation now; repent now. Don't try to cover up your 
sin; don't try to forget it, to ignore it; repent of it, 
overcome it, and then pass on your way. 

You will find enough sins to overcome in your pathway 
every day of your life, without having to suffer annoyance 
from the unrepented follies of the past. The memory of a 
wicked deed committed years ago, a wrong for which you 
have never made reparation, may come down upon you 
when you least expect it, to drive you with its keen lashes 
into abject despair. It is better not to " let the sun go 
down upon your wrath," upon sins unatoned, wrongs unre- 
quited; and better still, as far as possible to avoid the 
necessity for making such reparations. You need all the 

299 



30o - THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

grace in your heart to withstand present trials and 
temptations, and to conquer the foes of to-day. 



STRENGTH FOR TO-DAY. 

Strength for to-day is all that we need, 
As there never will be a to-morrow; 

For to-morrow will prove but another to-day s 
With its measure of joy and sorrow. 

Then why forecast the trials of life 
With such sad and grave persistence, 

And watch and wait for a crowd of ills 
That as yet has no existence ? 

Strength for to-day — what a precious boon 
For the earnest souls who labor! 

For the willing hands that minister 
To the needy friend or neighbor! 

Strength for to-day, that the weary hearts 
In the battle for right may quail not, 

And the eyes bedimmed with bitter tears 
In their search for truth may fail not. 

Strength for to-day, on the down-hill track, 
For the travellers near the valley; 

That up, far up on the other side 
Ere long they may safely rally. 

Strength for to-day, that our precious youth 

May happily shun temptation, 
And build from the rise to the set of the sun 

On a strong and sure foundation. 

Strength for to-day, in house and home, 
To practise forbearance sweetly; 

To scatter kind words and loving deeds 
Still trusting in God completely. 

Strength for to-day is all that we need, 
As there never will be a to-morrow ; 

For to-morrow will prove but another to-day, 
With its measure of joy and sorrow. 




THIRTY-AND-EIGHT YEARS. 



"1 

HERE have been very few of the 
children of men who at one time 
or another have not known the 
wearing of illness, not only by 
observing others, but by a per- 
son a 1 experience of greater 
or less degree. How many- 
weary days and nights have they 
passed, how often have they 
wished for the darkness to hide 
the glaring sun from their ach- 
ing eyes; and as often have they pined for the shadows 
of night to gather, that its dews might cool the fevered 
nerves. Twenty-four hours seem an eternity of time in 
which to suffer, yet they count for but one day. What 
would you think of thirty-and-eight years? Or, to realize 
more fully the time that is held within that period, let it 
be reduced to days, and you have 13,880. If one day's 
agony is unendurable, " if your heart faints within you 
ere its close," could you endure fourteen thousand days 
of suffering? 

Close by the temple in Jerusalem there was, by the 
sheep-market, a pool or reservoir for water, that was 
between three and four hundred feet long and seventy-five 
feet deep. Attached to the market was an open building, 
supported by colonnades; thither went a " great multitude 
of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for 
the moving of the water." Jesus had gone up to keep 
the feast of the Passover, in the month Abib; and he 
went, as he always did, in order to help the sick and the 
suffering, to the pool of Bethesda. 

The pool was fed from ancient reservoirs under the 
temple. An old writer describes it as two pools, one fed 
by periodical rains, the other (according to tradition) 

302 



THIRTY- AND-EIGHT YEARS. 3°3 

being of a reddish color, from the fact that the flesh of 
the sacrifices was washed in it before being offered. 
But, according to a tradition that held until 1102 a.d., 
it was the largest one, close by St. Stephen's gate, that 
answers to the Bethesda of the time of Christ. 

John tells us that at a certain season an angel troubled 
or stirred the waters of the pool, and that whosoever 
stepped into it after the coming of the angel, was cured 
of his disease. What anxiety must have been in the 
hearts of the weary, waiting ones! How the poor, the 
lame, and the blind must have waited in suspense for the 
troubling of the water! and what agony it must have 
been when the moment came and no one was there to help 
the sufferer down into the water! There were two flights 
of steps, one of thirteen and one of sixteen steps, with a 
platform of twelve feet between them; that w T as a long 
journey for the helpless to traverse before the pool was 
reached. Jesus saw a man lying there who had been sick 
during thirty-and-eight years, and he said unto him 
" Wilt thou be made whole ?" How eagerly the man must 
have looked up from his bed on the porch, as he told 
Jesus that there was no one to help him! And immediately 
the man was made whole. 

Are you lying beside a pool of Bethesda waiting for 
human help ? Have you been blind, lame, helpless, weary 
of sin, often discouraged — one of a multitude waiting 
for an angel to perform a miracle? Have you been wait- 
ing for the " certain season" for twenty, thirty, fifty years? 
Can you not look up and see Jesus standing by your 
Bethesda ? Do you not know that he was " compassed 
with infirmity," "tempted in all points like as we are, yet 
without sin," our Saviour, who knew sorrow and suffered 
from grief? Would you be made immediately whole? 
It is so easy to say "Lord, help me," and when you do 
say it, the angels in heaven will rejoice over your praises; 
and your songs, once begun, will never cease until one 
day in the many mansions you should know the Beloved, 
even as you are known. 



=±z 



«_ 



=m 







BUT ONE PETITION. 




ERE it your privilege to present 
one petition, and but one, at the 
mercy-seat, and that in the words 
of Scripture, what would that pe- 
tition be? Such a privilege was 
allowed Solomon, and he chose 
what, in the circumstances, was a 
wise thing for him to ask. As for 
myself, I think that mine would be 
that of David, in the tenth verse of the 
fifty-first Psalm: "Create in me a clean 
heart, O God: and renew a right spirit 
within me." I can think of nothing that 
I so much need for time, or for eternity, 
as this. Were I to possess all other things, and to be 
destitute of this, I should be poor indeed. The treasures 
of this world would be unsatisfying, even while they 
lasted, and that would be but for a brief time. J must soon 
and forever leave them all, and enter on eternity; and 

304 



3c6 



BUT ONE PETITION. 



then, without a clean heart and a right spirit, I must be 
wretched wherever my abode may be. Without such a 
heart, I could not enter the abode of the blessed, for 
nothing shall enter there that defileth. Only the pure in 
heart shall see God. Even though I were allowed to enter 
that holy place with my sinful heart, I could not be happy. 
I could have no fellowship with God, nor with the holy 
angels, nor with the blood-washed saints; nor could I 
take any satisfaction in their holy pleasures and employ- 
ments. I should be miserable, even in heaven. Holiness 
is an indispensable qualification for that holy place. 

My petition, therefore, would be. " Create in me a clean 
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." With 
such a spirit I shall be more happy in this present world 
than I should otherwise be, and with such a spirit I shall 
be prepared to dwell in the presence of God, where there 
is fulness of joy, and at his right hand, where there are 
pleasures forevermore. 




HE WILL BRING IT TO PASS." 



RING what to pass? All the 
desires of our foolish, igno- 
rant hearts ? No ! Thank 
God that his love and mercy 
spare us any such lifelong 
misery as that gift 
would bring upon us. 
When we pray God 
to grant our petitions 
according to his own 
wisdom and knowledge 
of what would be best 
for us, because " we 
know not what to ask 
for as we ought," we 
place ourselves i n 
God's hands to do for 
us as he sees best. In 
no other way can we 
claim answer to 
prayer. Christ, our Saviour, while here upon earth, said 
that "Whatsoever ye ask in my name, believing, ye shall 
receive." Yet furthermore he himself taught us to pray, 
"Thy will, not mine, be done." 

Have we any claim to the promise of answer to prayer 
if we approach him in a spirit contrary to that which his 
professed followers are expected to possess? 

Submission to his will we must have, but our father has 
given us the blessed privilege of coming to him and telling 
him our wants, asking of him "whatsoever things we de- 
sire." Not some things, not a particular class of things, 
not great things, but everything. 

Have we any right to suppose our father in heaven so 
different from Christ? And was there anything too small 
or insignificant to escape his notice? Can we find one 

307 




3 o8 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



single instance of a single individual, however humble or 
wicked, who failed to secure his attention? Is the world 
too large? Is there any danger of an omnipotent, omni- 
present God overlooking one of his creatures? Ourchief- 
est joy and blessing come from the fact that God has a 
plan in life for each one of us. And our answers to prayer 
depend entirely upon the help or hindrance the answer 
might be to that line of living. Why cannot we overcome 
that perverseness of heart which chafes at restraint, and 
grows sick and faint over deferred hopes ? Remember, 
God knows just exactly when that petition, so earnestly 
asked, can be granted so as not to retard our Christian 
growth; or if the prayer were for another, just the mo- 
ment to render him the best possible good. 

Cannot we trust it to him? "He will bring it to pass." 
Or cannot we trust our Creator to change or improve upon 
our poor human plans? The Apostle James tells us that 
the " trying of our faith worketh patience," and to let 
" patience have her perfect work." He clearly states that 
this waiting on the Lord is essential to the perfect man 
in Christ Jesus. It is a distinct and important part in 
our Christian education, without which we are found 
wanting. " Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, 
which hath great recompense of reward." Oh, let us all 
who bear his name cast from us all these miserable doubts 
and fears so unworthy of him, and in whole-hearted ser- 
vice, truly and entirely, commit our way unto the Lord, 
not hoping but knowing in his own good time "he will 
bring it to pass." 



TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS. 




AUL was writing one of his letters 
to the Church at Corinth; he was 
encouraging them to do the things 
which were right, to shun those 
that were evil. Factions had arisen 
in the Church, using the name of 
certain that had preached to them, 
and even of Christ, in their bitter conten- 
tions. 

The news of their condition was conveyed 
to him by members of the household of Chloe. 
It is not known whether this woman was a 
member at Corinth, or whether she merely had 
friends there; but she seemed to have the good of the 
Church at heart. 

Corinth was a great place for commercial and manufact- 
uring enterprise. Its wealth was so celebrated as to be 
proverbial; but so also were the vice and profligacy of its 
inhabitants. Venus was worshipped, and evil reigned. 

The epistles to the Corinthians are supposed to have 
been written about a.d. 57; the first from Ephesus, the 
second from Macedonia, shortly before Paul's second visit 
to Corinth, which, we are told in Acts, lasted three months. 
We may conclude that there were many Jewish converts 
in the Corinthian Church, though it would appear that 
the Gentiles predominated. Stephanas, Crispus, Caius, 
and Erastus were among the eminent Christians who lived 
in Corinth. 

The city has lost its grandeur; it is no longer the home 
of wealth and learning, but is shrunk into a wretched 
village, which is On the old site, and bears the same name, 
which, however, is often corrupted into Gortho. 

There were formerly to be found the baths erected by 
Hadrian, now a crumbling heap of bricks; the remains 
of an amphitheatre, with subterranean arrangements for 
gladiators; the ruins of the ancient Greek temple; the 
old columns, which have looked upon the rise, prosperity, 
and desolation of three successive Corinths. 

309 



310 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

To such a city, and to the Church that had been gathered 
there, Paul wrote his epistle.' In it he tells them that 
they had renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, and 
as the love of God had shined into their hearts, they 
should remember that the treasure was held in earthen 
vessels, and that although death worked in them, it was 
only a death into life; the death of the body, the earthen 
vessel, and the resurrection of the same. For although 
the earthly house for which we are caring so much must 
perish in the grave, yet God had prepared a body that 
should be raised incorruptible; that through Christ, who 
knew no sin, yet was made to pay the penalty of sin for 
us, we might be made the righteousness of God through 
him. 

We are the earthen vessels of which Paul speaks; what 
treasure have we hidden in us? What is a treasure? It 
is something that we prize; something that we would not 
sell, nor give away, nor lose; we are so fearful of loss 
that we have hidden it. Where ? 

Is it like the leaven that a woman hid in three meas- 
ures of meal ? Have we sowed it in a field? Or, have 
we hid it in the field, so that when a man finds it he counts 
it such a rare thing that he is willing to sell all that he 
has to buy it? What is our treasure? Is it unto eternal 
life, or is it unto eternal -death ? Is it treasure of corn, of 
oil, of wine, of honey? Or, is it gold, silver, or brass? 

Let us lay up treasures in heaven, where they can neither 
be hurt nor destroyed. The good treasures of the heart 
are holy thoughts and affections, the keeping of our God's 
commandments, loving the dear Saviour who died for us, 
and being always prepared for the marriage feast, so that 
when our Lord cometh he will say, " Well done, good 
and faithful servants, enter into the joy of your Lord." 



WORK THAT ENDURES. 




N one sense a large proportion 
of the world's toilers do not 
choose their own work. Cir- 
cumstances largely beyond per- 
sonal control seem to shape out 
particular calling it becomes 
their destiny to follow. Deplorable 
as it is, yet men and women are 
continually saying, " Could I but 
begin life over again, I should never 
choose my present occupation," or, 
" Could I only begin again a busi- 
ness career, my present employment 
would be the last one in which I 
would engage." To our thinking, 
some of the most expressive words used to describe human 
life are contained in the familiar lines: 

"In devious way 
The hurrying stream of life may run." 

Life is in very truth a restless, hurrying stream, winding 
its tortuous, devious way, pushing us often sorely against 
our will, with its strong, resistless current, into the paths 
our unwilling feet must tread. The first occupation of 
which we have historical record is that of our great fore- 
father Adam; nor was he allowed to choose in the matter. 
" Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden 
of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken." 
No choice for Adam. In the sweat of his brow he was to 
earn his bread and find sustenance for himself and his 
family. This has been the inheritance and lot of man 
ever since. And even as Cain followed the employment 
of his father, so thousands of men since his time have 
followed a father's trade, business, or profession. But 
whether the work which becomes our own is a voluntary 

311 



312 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

choice, or seems thrust upon us, it can be ennobled by the 
manner of doing it, always supposing it to be of an honor- 
able kind. Canon Farrar says: "A life spent in brushing 
clothes and washing crockery and sweeping floors — a life 
which the proud of the earth would have treated as the dust 
under their feet; a life spent at the clerk's desk; a life 
spent in the narrow shop; a life spent in the laborer's hut, 
may yet be a life so ennobled by God's loving mercy, that 
for the sake of it a king might gladly yield his crown." 
In these sentiments are embodied a fact too frequently 
overlooked, and that is — any employment may be made 
to serve a double purpose. Not only may bread be earned 
by means of the daily occupation, whether humble or of a 
more exalted nature, but the kingdom of God may be 
advanced in human hearts by the manner in which the 
work is done. Right along in the line of a daily duty, a 
life may become a sermon, a psalm, an active exponent of 
Christian principle and godly living. And influence is a 
very abiding power. Dean Stanley rightly says: "Each 
of us may have fixed in his mind the thought that out of 
a single household may flow influences that shall stimulate 
the whole commonwealth and the whole civilized world." 
But it will take a long time for any influence or power to 
affect the civilized world, and this shows how important 
it is that anything so far-reaching should be of the right 
kind. It is so generally the rule of the world that every- 
thing shall quickly pass away, that it is matter for special 
satisfaction when anything that is said or done in the right 
direction can be made to endure. In this connection no 
grander utterances than those of Daniel Webster are at 
our command at this moment, at least no utterances of 
man: "If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work 
upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they 
will crumble into dust ; but if we work on immortal minds — 
if we imbue them with principles, -with the just fear of 
God and our fellow-men — we engrave on those tablets 
something that will brighten all eternity." No one can 
live or work to himself alone. Contact and influence are 
inevitable as the breath we draw. Neither are they gener- 
ally inconsequent, because, either for good or for ill, we 
affect the lives of those about us. As the great statesman 
has intimated, it is our privilege to work on immortal 



314 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



minds; is there, then, but one course for Christians to 
pursue? Time is short, but yet long enough for each 
Christian to realize that work may be done by each, which 
will brighten all eternity. Blessed privilege, open alike 
to rich and poor, to the high and to the lowly, that of 
living a life so full of Christ that the simplest labor, the 
arduous tasks, the every-day work, may be a witness for 
Christ! A kind of life for which a king might indeed 
"gladly yield his crown." 



On ! let all the soul within you, 
For the truth's sake, go abroad 

St.. ike ! let every nerve and sinew 
Tell on ages — tell for God !" 





PERSONAL 



OBLIGATION. 



RECENTLY heard a 
very intelligent lady 
say that she would not 
unite with the Church 
because she would not 
dare to take solemn 
vows upon herself for 
fear she might break 
them. She failed to 
realize apparently that 
her own personal obli- 
gation to serve her 
Lord remained the 
same even though she 
"were out of the 
Church." Obligation 
was born long before 
the Church was. The 
Lord was " King," and 
all people his subjects, 
before church organi- 
zation was thought of. 
[ == ^ jp^^ TjJ. ^"^L | " Right is right, and 
* c?^&> * wrong is wrong to all 

people under the sun. 
It is a deplorable mistake to think that "belonging to a 
church" makes our obligations to God, but it is a happy 
fact, nevertheless, that it is a most delightful and satis- 
fying help in performing them. 

It was Henry Ward Beecher, I think, who said, " Sink the 
Bible to the bottom of the ocean, and man's obligation to 
God would be unchanged. He would have the same path 
to tread, only his lamp and his guide would be gone; he 
would have the same voyage to make, only his compass 
and chart would be overboard." 



315 



316 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

In ist Cor. iv. i, it reads, " Let a man so account of us 
as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries 
of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man 
be found faithful." In Matt, xxiii. 8, we have this verse, 
" But be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even 
Christ; and all ye are brethren." In ist Peter iv. 10, we 
find this rule: "As every man hath received the gift, even 
so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of 
the manifold grace of God." 

Dr. Cumming, in speaking of personal obligation, says: 
"It is by each soldier feeling his obligation in doing his 
part that the army conquers; it is by each bee doing its 
work that the hive is stored with honey; it is by each 
insect putting forth all its might that the coral reef be- 
comes an island and cities rise upon the bosom of the 
main." 

Personal obligation has its source back of conscious- 
ness. Whether Christians or not, we are the Lord's, for 
we have been bought with a price. Therefore our personal 
obligation demands that we serve our Saviour, that we sur- 
render ourselves to him soul and body. 

Spencer relates a story of a beggar who asked something 
of a lady. She gave him sixpence, saying: "This is more 
than ever God gave me. " " Oh, madam !" said the beggar, 
" you have abundance, and God hath given all that you 
have; say not so, good madam." " Well," said she, "I 
speak the truth, for God hath not given but lent unto 
me what I have, that I may bestow it upon such as thou 
art." 

There are few sights so lovely in this world as a person 
who deeply feels his or her obligation to the Lord (and 
the world, which, of course, is necessarily included), and 
resolutely, earnestly and unswervingly performs it, no 
matter what discouragements are in his way. 




CHILDHOOD OF JESUS. 




UST as the plant does not open to 
the sun till it has cast its roots into 
the soil to a depth not measured by 
the eye, so Jesus, by secret and in- 
tense prayer, drew the sap and life 
of his soul from the bosom of God. 
Some favoring circumstance was all 
that was needed to strike from him, before the 
eyes of all, the spark divine. This was 
afforded by the journey to Jerusalem to cele- 
brate the Passover feast, at the age when the 
young Jews began to take part publicly in the 
religious life of their people. This solemn visit to the 
Temple filled the soul of Jesus with emotion not to be 
described ; under the symbols he beheld the divine realities. 
He felt himself truly in the house of God, and perhaps 
for the first time became fully conscious of the greatness 
of his mission; he comprehended that he would be called 
to fulfil those solemn types. When his mother, grieved 
at his tarrying behind, addressed him in words of tender 
reproach, he gave that deep and mysterious reply, " How 
was it that ye sought me ? Wist ye not that I must be 
about my father's business?" 

His precocious wisdom had been already revealed in an 
interview with the doctors in the Temple; his questions 
showed such richness of thought and feeling, that the 
illustrious masters were themselves confounded. The 
questions of a child are often more embarrassing, by their 
artless depth, than the arguments of the most consummate 

317 



3i8 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



dialectician. They go straight to the truth by the royal 
road of simplicity. There was not a white-headed rabbi 
in the schools of the law who could meet the questions of 
this child of Nazareth. This scene in the Temple was of 
great moment in the development of Jesus, by revealing 
him to himself. The next eighteen years he passed in 
the most complete obscurity. We may not seek to pene- 
trate their mystery; it is enough for us to know that they 
prepared him in solitude for his great mission. He spent 
them in prayer and a holy life. 




HIS WAYS ARE NOT AS OUR WAYS. 




ALTHOUGH the Scriptures tell us 
plainly that the ways of God are 
"past finding out," yet human 
nature is constantly dissatisfied 
that so little knowledge is granted 
concerning God and his mysterious ways. 
And it puzzles ,poor humanity to a piti- 
able degree that things so often seem 
merely to " happen " anyway. What has 
been most earnestly and eagerly sought 
after is the very prize which repeatedly 
eludes the grasp. The fond dream con- 
tinually lacks realization; the dreaded 
calamity is the one permitted to fall. Valued possessions 
slip away and the hand is powerless to stay them. Ad- 
verse and trying events overtake the bravest and most 
hopeful, and they are not to be warded off. Great pity 
arises in the heart of a Christian that any one can be so 
blinded to the only true and reliable comfort to be found 
in life as to shut the heart to a belief in the providences 
of God. It becomes clear, in view of the resistless power 
and control which manifestly dwell in God and his sover- 
eign will, that the best his children can do is simply to 
trust submissively to his will and try in every possible 
way to further its divine workings. If only men and 
women would strive to conform to what is felt to be the 
will of God, the discontent and misery which often haunt 
and spoil a life would be banished to a very comforting 
degree. When rebellion and insubordination are utterly 
fruitless, what folly to beat and bruise the wings against 
the fetters of restraint. George MacDonald says: "I find 
the doing of the will of God leaves me no time for disputing 
about his plans." The great trouble is, mankind is so 

319 



320 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

short-sighted that there is no due recognition of the fact 
that a Supreme Ruler must follow his own plans and 
manage affairs in his own way in order to bring about his 
own purpose. We cry for help, then we often wonder at a 
state of increased perplexity; but there is lacking that 
nobility of patience in the human soul which admits of 
waiting, uncomplainingly, the ripening and perfecting 
of the purposes of God. Says Flavel : " When God intends 
to fill a soul, he first makes it poor; when he intends to 
exalt a soul, he first makes it humble; when he intends 
to save a soul, he first makes it sensible of its own miser- 
ies and nothingness." And should any one ask how these 
things can be affirmed by any man, we think the reply 
should be: Experience and the lives of those who have 
gone before us prove each assertion to be true. Over 
and over again men have testified to such facts, and have 
found that out of a sense of emptiness has come the ful- 
ness of the blessing of God. Out of a consciousness of 
spiritual poverty has come a sense of possessing all things ; 
out of self-abasement has come the exaltation of a renewed 
spirit; and out of a sense of sinfulness and nothingness 
has come an assurance of the salvation which is through 
Christ. This is often the way in which God sees fit to 
move upon the heart, producing one extreme state to bring 
about another; and what seems strange and ill-appointed 
to finite vision and understanding is often the wisdom and 
power of God evincing, themselves through his unerring 
methods and plans. Trust and obedience are virtues which 
must help a soul Christward and heavenward. Trust and 
obedience will naturally beget love. A lady who was 
placed in a responsible position in a charitable institution 
said that at first it washer main desire and effort to make 
the children love her; obedience, she thought, would 
naturally follow if only she could first secure the affection 
of the children placed under her charge. But the fallacy 
of this belief speedily manifested itself, and the first and 
main power in securing either love or respect revealed 
itself to be that of insisting on prompt and invariable 
obedience. To the untaught and almost unreasoning 
children the lady's ways and requirements often seemed 
needless and the restrictions unnecessary, but her testimony 
was, that obedience and subjection soon convinced the 




THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD. 



321 



21 



322 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



little ones that each rule was a just one; and she added, 
that once the children learned to obey her, there was no 
trouble in securing the love she had so desired. In the 
great school of life we soon learn that our will. and wishes 
must be subordinate to a mightier will than our own, and 
our wishes controlled by One whose ways are not as our 
ways, but are as much higher than our ways as the heavens 
are higher than the earth. A noble nature will not yield 
obedience to a superior will simply because perforce it 
must. Who would wish to be " like dumb, driven cattle " 
because God rules supreme over the objects of his own 
creation? Willing obedience is sure to bring peace. 
David, in a song of thanksgiving, says: "As for God, his 
way is perfect;" and two verses further on he says, 
"And he maketh my way perfect;" but previous to either 
of these declarations, he says: " For I have kept the ways 
of the Lord . . . and as to his statutes, I did not depart 
from them." Could the lesson be taught more plainly 
that keeping the ways and statutes of the Lord tends to 
the perfection of our own ways? 





THE HUMAN SIDE. 



wJ 

T no season of the year 
do we more fully appre- 
ciate the humanity of 
Christ than during the 
Advent and at the 
Christmas-tide. He 
came among us the 
child of Bethlehem, 
and, as a little child, 
the little children of 
each succeeding gener- 
ation learn to love him. 
The story of his birth 
in the manger, because there was no room for him in the 
inn, is ever new, and children never tire of it. And no 
teacher or parent who seeks to train the children up to 
Christian life should omit the opportunity which Christmas 
time gives of pressing home to the understanding of the 
children the beautiful thought of the real human boy- 
hood of Christ. The manger may be forgotten and over- 
looked in the thought of the miraculous which accom- 
panied it — the glorious song of the angels and the visits 
of the shepherds and magi, with their costly gifts to lay 
at his feet. Yet although these anthems have their place, 
the human nature of our Lord ought not to be set aside 
and forgotten. As an elder brother, his life will appeal 
more nearly to the homely every-day lives of the children 
about us than if we think of him as only Divine. And 
all this human sympathy is greatly needed in forming a 
character to fight this world's battles. What would Christ 
have done had he been in my place? is an every-day 
matter-of-fact reasoning, while Christ, the Almighty and 
all-powerful, is much more likely to be forgotten. So at 
this Christmas season, when glad and joyous ring out the 
bells, and the anthems are chanted, and merriment rules 
the day, the babe in the manger should be shown as a real 
human babe. He came among us, not in power, but in 

323 



324 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

weakness. Not as a king, with all the pomp of power, 
but as a little, unattended child. Not with any outward 
pomp, or even so very much to distinguish him from ordi- 
nary children. Yet we find him growing up with a moral 
nature which needed no checking and reproof ; for although 
he was oftentimes tempted, just as children nowadays are 
tempted, to do wrong, he did no wrong. So that he was 
human, but of a strongly-marked, perfect human character. 
So when we sing the Christmas carols, let much of their 
burden be that Christ, our king in glory, was once a child 
who lived with us; and then shall we more easily remem- 
ber that God, through Christ, will hear us when we call 
upon him; and the experience of each child so trained 
shall be like that of the late Dr. Charles Hodge, who used 
to say: 

" As far back as I can remember, I had the habit of 
thanking God for everything I received, and of asking 
him for everything I wanted. If I lost a book or any one of 
my playthings, I prayed that I might find it. I prayed 
walking along the streets, in school or out of school, 
whether playing or studying. I did not do this in obedi- 
ence to any prescribed rule — it seemed natural. I thought 
of God as an everywhere-present being, full of kindness 
and love, who would not be offended if children talked 
to him." 




THE LIVING 
BREAD. 

READ, in the Bible, signi- 
fies any manner of food that 
is necessary for the suste- 
nance of life. The manna 
sent from God to feed the 
Israelites in the wilderness 
was called bread; but the 
usually accepted meaning 
is food made from wheat. 
One of the earliest un- 
doubted instances of its use 
is when the angels visited 
Abraham in the plains of 
Mamre; and he bid Sarah 
make a cake for them. 
The ancient Hebrews had several ways of 
making their bread after they had ground 
the wheat in different kinds of stone mills. 
Occasionally the grains were mixed with 
other ingredients, such as beans, lentils, and 
millet, a little water or milk was put to it, 
and if they were not in haste leaven was 
' added. It was kneaded by the hands or the 
^sk&iivS, f eet > an d left to rise. One of the lesser 
prophets tells us that their " baker sleepeth 
all the night." The dough was then divided 
into round cakes not unlike flat stones in 
shape and appearance, about a span in diam- 
eter, and a finger's breadth in thickness. 
Three of these were required for a meal for 
a single person; these cakes were sometimes 
punctured, and mixed with oil, and sometimes were only 
coated with oil. Sometimes the dough was kneaded a 
second time, and probably some stimulating seeds were 
added before it was baked. 




325 



326 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

The shew bread of the priests that was put every Sabbath 
upon the golden table which was in the sanctuary before 
the Lord, was made into twelve cakes or loaves, to repre- 
sent the twelve tribes of Israel. They were large in size, 
as they used two-tenth deals of flour, or about six pints 
for each one. They were served hot on each Sabbath, and 
then the stale ones that had been exposed for seven days 
were taken away ; these could be eaten by the priests alone. 
It was the proper business of the women of the family, 
the mistress of the house or one of the daughters, to bake 
the bread. Baking, however^ as a prof ession % was carried 
on by men ; and Nehemiah speaks of the town of the ovens 
or furnaces. 

As the bread was made in thin cakes, it dried quickly, 
and being then unpalatable, it was usual to bake daily. 
Unleavened bread was ordered to be eaten at the Passover, 
to commemorate the hurriedness of the departure of the 
Israelites from Egypt. This bread was composed of flour 
and water, and the thin paste was then spread over a port- 
able oven or urn in which a fire had been made; when 
cooked, it was broken off in pieces. 

Bread was also baked in cavities sunk in the ground, and 
lined with cement. In the oven a fire was built, and it 
was thus prepared for baking. The portable oven or jar, 
which was about three feet high, and was heated by wood, 
or flowers and grass (our Saviour tells his disciples when 
he reproves them for the want of faith, " Wherefore if 
God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and 
to-morrow is cast into the oven," etc.), is still common 
among the Bedouins. When an oven was not to be had, 
the pastoral Jews spread their bread either over or under 
hot stones; or, lastly, they roasted it by placing it between 
two fires made of dried cow-dung, which burns slowly, 
and therefore answered their purpose. 

The Hebrews did not cut their bread, but they broke 
it, as did our Saviour when he instituted the Supper. " And 
Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it and gave 
unto them." 

The living bread is he which, having come down from 
heaven, giveth life unto the world. He says: "I am the 
bread of life: he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; 
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Your 



328 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 
I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if 
any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever." 

" He who hath led, will lead 

All through the wilderness; 
He who hath fed, will feed; 

He who hath blessed, will bless ; 
He who hath heard thy cry, 

Will never close his ear; 
He who hath marked thy faintest sigh, 

Will not forget thy tear. 
He loveth always, faileth never ; 

So rest on him to-day, for ever." 




ELIJAH FED BY THE RAVENS. 




AN OLIVE-TREE. 



NE of the very earliest trees men- 
tioned in the Bible is the olive, a 
leaf of which the dove that was 
sent out of the Ark by Noah had 
in her mouth when she returned to 
him, because the waters had not 
yet dried off the earth. 
Palestine numbered it among her most valu- 
le trees, and the land is said to be full of 
, olives, and honey. It is often mentioned 
the classics, was dedicated to Minerva, and 
iployed in the crowning of some of the gods. 
It thrives best in the warm sun; it grows 
slowly, and lives to a great age; some writers think that 
some olive-trees are two thousand years old. It is said 
to be neither large nor beautiful as a tree; its color is 
of an ashen hue; the bark is smooth, but the trunk is 
knotty and gnarled. Travellers tell us that its leaves are 
dark green upon the upper surface, but of a silvery hue 
beneath. Solomon used these trees in building the Tem- 
ple, because the wood was hard, and very close in grain. 
It blossoms profusely, and bears fruit every other year. 

The flower is at first yellow, but it becomes white as it 
progresses, and at last loses all the yellow except the 
centre. 

The fruit resembles a plum, in shape and color, first 
green, at last almost black. It is gathered by shaking 
the trees, beating them with poles, and by plucking. A 
full-sized.tree, in good bearing condition, is said to pro- 
duce fifty pounds of oil. 

Shoots come up from the roots, and as the parent tree 
dies they are ready to take its place. The oil was used 
in lamps, to anoint the body and hair, to anoint the sick, 
to pour upon wounds, to use in the bath, to consecrate 
kings, to assist in sacrifices. Even in the wilderness the 
Israelites were directed to have "pure olive oil beaten for 
the light, to cause the lamp to burn always." 

The fruit was first shaken off, or plucked, and then 

329 



33° 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



trodden; so one of the lesser prophets speaks of the "oil 
vats." High winds were greatly dreaded by those who 
cultivated the olive-tree, for even by the ruffling of the 
breeze the flowers were apt to fall. Job says, " He shall 
cast off his flower like the olive." The locust also was 
a great destroyer of the trees, making the " labor of the 
olive to fail." 

We are told that " the sites of many of the deserted 
towns of Judah bear witness to the former abundance of 
the olive where it no longer exists, by the oil-presses, with 
their gutters, troughs, and cisterns hewn out of the solid 
rock." 

In St. Paul's arguments concerning the Jews and Gen- 
tiles the olive-tree gives to him a very forcible illustra- 
tion , and in Romans he gives an allegory of the grafting, 
growth, and bearing of the fruit of the olive-tree. And 
he advises his hearers not to have "that blindness in part 
that happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles 
be come in." 





A FEW DAYS. 



HE Lord had spoken to 

Moses from Sinai in the 

;inning of the second 

^ear after he had led the 

Israelites out of the land of 

ypt, to command again 

keeping of the feast of 

the Passover. 

Many days of discouragement had come to them, and 
oftentimes they wished that they had been left to die in 
the land of bondage. Sometimes they would be led to the 
very borders of the wilderness, just at the edge of the 
promised land, and when they expected to be led into it 
to find the milk and honey of which they had heard, they 
were forced to turn back. 

Because of their sins, God had sworn that not one of the 
people who had come up out of the land of Egypt, except 
Caleb and Joshua, should be permitted to enter into Canaan. 
So they travelled around and around in almost a circle 
for forty years. 

But all this time they were keeping the feasts that were 
appointed for them. And God led them by a cloud by 
day and a pillar of fire by night. When the tabernacle 
was reared a cloud covered it ; and at even there was 
upon it in place of the cloud the appearance of fire. When 
they were to continue their journey the cloud was taken 
up, and when the cloud tarried for a few days they tarried 
in their tents, and journeyed not. 

So God led them on from day to day, from night to night, 
until they entered into the rest of the land of promise. 

The world is only a great wilderness through which we 
are journeying to the land of promise beyond all of our 
weariness, fightings without and fears within. If we attain 
to a state which we call almost perfection, and then we 

33i 



33* 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



sin, we have to begin all over again; and we go over and 
over the same ground until we often get discouraged, just 
as the Israelites did in the wilderness. 

As God led them so he leads us. Are we discouraged 
because he keeps us quiet for a few days 2 Moses said, 
" Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command. " 
Cannot we stand still until we hear the still, small .voice, 
until upon our ears falls the whisper, " Be still and know?" 

Is our life more than a feiv days of care, of anxiety? 
We build houses and barns, we sit down to take our ease, 
forgetting that \hz few days will soon pass. 





DOES JESUS CARE? 



HE Sea of Gennesaret, or as it 
was called in the Old Testa- 
ment, " the Sea of Chinnereth," 
received its name from a fertile 
plain on its northwest shore. 
It is thirty-five miles south of 
Mount Hermon, twenty-seven 
east of the Mediterranean, and 
sixty-four from the Dead Sea. 
It is said to measure thirteen 
miles in length, four to seven 
wide, and is one hundred and 
sixty feet deep. It is of vol- 
canic origin, and surrounded by 
rocks that rise from its sides to 
a great height, the top of some 
of them being seventeen hundred feet above its narrow 
pebbly beach. Naturally, as its depression is so great, 
extreme heat is occasioned, and in the summer is very 
trying to the traveller; in winter, snow never lies upon 
its border, although the neighboring mountains are often 
whitened by it. 

In the time of our Saviour some considerable towns 
studded its shores, and the plain of Gennesaret was a 
marvel of fruitfulness and beauty. But now only two 
of them remain; the surrounding hills are usually bare 
and desolate, and though capable of producing figs, 
olives, and wheat, the country is so much neglected that 
thorns abound, and while the thorny tote-tree and palms 
grow luxuriantly, and indigo is cultivated in the fields, 
ruin is everywhere to be seen. 

Upon the shores of the beautiful lake our Saviour did 
much teaching; its quiet beauty was hallowed by a voice 
such as no other man ever possessed. Then, as now, 
although brackish springs flowed into it, notwithstanding 

333 



334 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

the waters of the Jordan rushed into the lake in a turbid 
torrent, its water is sweet, cool, and transparent. As 
then, the lake abounds in fish, but even that seems to be 
ignored, and no longer do numerous boats let down their 
nets into the sea. Fish are now taken either by being 
caught in a hand-net by a man who walks in shallow water, 
or else they are fed crumbs of bread that are mixed with 
a preparation of mercury, and when dead they are easily 
gathered from the surface of the water. 

On the lake Peter essayed to walk to Christ, but 
becoming frightened, he cried out, " Lord, save me, or 
I perish." Jesus, walking by this sea, saw Andrew and 
Peter casting their net into it, but at his call they left 
all to follow him. There was given "the parable of the 
sower who went forth to sow. In one of the towns by its 
borders, Jesus being moved with compassion because the 
day was far spent, fed the five thousand with five loaves 
and two fishes. Crossing the sea, he met the man with 
an unclean spirit, and healed him. On its western shore, 
about five miles from where the Jordan enters it, near the 
city of Capernaum, Christ asked, "Children, have ye any 
meat?" They had not, but at his command they cast 
their net, and were not able to draw it in for the multi- 
tude of fishes. 

And on the same sea when Jesus with his disciples took 
ship to go over unto the other side, and a tempest arose; 
Jesus, wearied with his labors, was in the stern of the 
vessel, asleep. The narrative tells us that, but it would 
be very difficult to believe that our Lord did not know of 
their danger, for his eye is never closed when his children 
need care. And when the disciples called, he rebuked 
the tempest, and there was a great calm. 

Were those disciples any dearer to him than are we ? 
When waves of anxiety and care far harder to endure than 
those of the Sea of Gennesaret are beating upon us, do we 
feel that our Saviour is sleeping? Could the ear of the One 
who died for us ever be closed even to our faintest cry ? 
We are not to go to our eternal home on " flowery beds of 
ease. " We must not expect Apollyon to be conquered with- 
out a fight: the wicket-gate is before us, and although, like 
Christain, we may have to "knock more than once or 
twice," the gate will be opened at our will. 




STEPS IN THE ROCKS LEADING TO MT. SINAI. 



33^ 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



The trouble with us is, that we grow faint in well-doing ; 
our hearts are altogether fixed on our own strength, and 
not upon what we can obtain from above. 

Our Jesus is ever beside us, near us; so near that he can 
put out his hand and quiet the waves that threaten to over- 
whelm us; and when we feel our danger we have only to 
say, " Lord, carest thou not that we perish?" And almost 
before we have uttered the words there will be a great 
calm. 




THE CHURCH AT LAODICEA. 




AODICEA was a large 
and very wealthy city 
of Asia Minor. Its 
earlier name was Dios- 
polis, but after it was 
enlarged by Antiochus 
it was named for his 
wife Laodice. After 
that it was destroyed 
by an earthquake, but 
was at once rebuilt by 
Marcus Aurelius. Now 
it is nothing but a scene of utter desola- 
tion, but so extensive are the ruins that 
it is said fully to justify the vivid de- 
scriptions that are given of it by Greek 
and Roman writers. 

A Christian church was early gathered 
in the city, but not, presumably, by St. 
Paul. When he wrote from Rome to the 
Christians at Colosse, and sent a greet- 
ing to the church at Laodicea, it is 
thought that he had never yet visited it. 
In subsequent times it became a Chris- 
tian city of eminence, the See of a bishop 
and a meeting-place of councils. It was 
destroyed by the Mohammedan invaders; 
and it is now a scene of utter desolation. 
It is thought by some writers that Paul's letter to Phile- 
mon is the letter to the Laodiceans. 

The church at Laodicea did not consist of people who 
were firm in the right, but of those who were wavering. 
St. John writes that they were neither cold nor hot, but 
lukewarm; and he counsels them to buy only gold that 
had been tried in the fire. 

We all know how very uncomfortable a thing the uncer- 
22 337 



33% THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

tain friend is. Just at the moment when we expect decided 
words, deeds, actions, there is nothing but a wavering 
spirit, neither cold nor hot, just a lukewarm love that 
really amounts to nothing, and in despair we turn aside 
from him, and wish that we might know just where to find 
him. 

If you are in trouble; if sorrows are thick about you; 
if the "grasshopper has become a burden," and you need 
love, cheer, comfort, can you- endure to be met by such a 
lukewarm love that your heart aches more than before you 
sought the help ? 

If you look into the eyes of your little child, and instead 
of the look of glad surprise that you have a right to expect 
the tones of your voice will call up, you see only an in- 
difference that chills the love that is welling up from your 
heart, and sending to your words the deep, full echoes 
that love alone can give to them, can you endure to see 
only flitting shadows of appreciation in the eyes of the 
child? Would our God endure in the children whom his 
Son died to redeem luke-warmness? When he says to 
us, " My son, give me thy heart," when he reaches out an 
arm to save, sets his eyes to watch, and bends a listening 
ear, when he holds out to us the Everlasting Arms to keep 
us from falling, could we receive the gifts, help, blessings 
indifferently? 

God loves happy Christians just as earthly parents love 
happy children. If you love him, hold up your head, and 
let all the world see that you have learned to love Jesus. 
Why do you want to be always looking at the ground at 
your feet, intently watching for rough places, for rocks 
of offence, for pitfalls, for miry depths? Surely you have 
forgotten that the Everlasting Arms are about you, and 
that the angels who are sent forth to minister to the loved 
ones do bear you up that you may not stumble. 

" And Thy guiding hand still held me, 
Though my feet would turn and slide, 
Held me while I wandered blindly, 
That I might not turn aside. 

" Now I know Thou hast been with me, 
And Thy face again I see, 
And I feel Thy hands upholding, 
Helping and directing me." 



34° 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



Paul knew that the wealth and sins of the Laodicean 
Church had distracted the Christians there, and to him who 
so emphatically preached Jo them to stand up and fight 
like men, it must have been very discouraging to know 
that their piety was only lukewarm, that they were neither 
cold nor hot. Let us ever bear in mind that the dear 
Lord wants, will only have and own, real love, real work, 
real faith, real decision of character, not lukewarmness, 
but a Christianity that, in the face of discouragements, 
be they never so great, will cause us to look up and say, 
"Lord, I love thee!" 




-- r~T 



WAITING FOR FEELING. 




OME one has remarked that " He 
who looks upon Christ through 
frames and feelings is like one who 
sees the sun in water, which quivers 
and moves as the water moves; but 
he that looks upon him in the glass 
of his Word, by faith, sees him ever 
the same." Newton says: "Our 
union with Christ is the union of the 
covenant, and therefore not dependent upon 
frames and feelings." 

Bate writes: " To depend upon feeling 
in religion is unsafe and dangerous. A 
man may as well think of holding fast to 
the clouds, building upon running sand, or 
relying on the wind. The clouds, the 
sand, the wind, are no more changeable and 
uncertain than our feelings. A change in 
circumstances, or a change in health, or a 
change in friends, will often produce an 
equal change in feeling. Our religion 
should be like the sun, which, cloud or no cloud, goes on in 
its shining course; like the earth which, wind or no wind, 
rolls on its orbit. We should 'stand by faith,' ' live by 
faith,' and 'hold fast the profession of our faith.' " 

It is a fatal mistake — made by many otherwise beautiful 
lives — this waiting for feeling; this refusal to anchor 
themselves on the Rock, Christ Jesus, because they experi- 
ence no strong emotion. It is resolution such souls need, 
resolution to pay the debt they owe to Christ, who gave 
his life for them. It is sad to believe the terrible fact 
that men and women whom we respect and love, who are 
honest and true as far as any and all debts and friendships 
of this world are concerned, fail in payment of the great 
debt to the Saviour of the world, fail to acknowledge the 
Friend above all others. What a blessing would come to 
such souls ii, instead of waiting for feeling, they would 

34i 



342 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

turn about and look for Christ for the purpose of discharg- 
ing the debt they owe. President Tuttle told a good 
story illustrating this personal obligation to the Lord of 
all. He said: 

" I asked a young man, 'Do you have any anxiety about 
yourself as a sinner against God ?' 

" The reply was, 'I know I am a sinner, but I -feel very 
little on the subject.' 

" 'Are you trying to do what God tells you to do as 
well as you are able and with such light as you have ?' I 
asked. 

" 'Oh, no, sir! for it would seem to be mockery for one 
who feels so little as I do to attempt to perform any re- 
ligious duty. ' 

' 'You admit that God does require of you repentance 
and faith and worship and a holy life, do you not ?' 

" 'Yes, sir; I must admit all this, but I do not/<?<?/it. ' 

" 'What would you advise a customer to do who had 
contracted a debt at this store, who admits the debt, and 
that he ought to pay it, but says he knows all this, but has 
so little feeling about it?' 

" In an instant he said, 'I would advise him to pay it, 
feeling or no feeling. ' 

" 'That is just what. I want you to do,' I said. 

" 'What shall I do?' he asked. 

" 'Come to the inquiry meeting to-night, and meanwhile 
do you search your Bible and ask God for help. ' 

" 'I will do the best I can,' was his reply. 

" That evening he admitted no progress, only he saw 
his guilt more clearly; but he would do all God required 
as well as he could. I never saw him shed a tear, or betray 
a tithe of the emotion the young man does who has just 
left my room, but as fast as light came he obeyed it. In 
a little time he was hoping he had passed from death unto 
life, and for years he has lived a faithful, beautiful Chris- 
tian life." 

The feeling will come when one has taken up one's duty. 
No one ought to question that. The Holy Spirit will 
touch any and every soul that is willing to obey. Spur- 
geon says, " It is astonishing how whimsical people are 
about the way they will be saved." There is only one 
way. Christ says, "Come unto me." Obey him. 




THE POOL OF SILOAM. 




be 



so. 



SADNESS AND SOLACE. 

T cannot be denied that the general ten- 
dency of the human heart as age advances 
is toward sadness and depression. It might 
also be said it is the natural tendency. 
This is not always the case, as there are 
many pleasing exceptions, but the general 
tendency is in a serious, sombre direction. 
It is not to be wondered at that this should 
The world is a stern disciplinarian ; cares press, 
343 



344 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

trials wear, and sorrows give anxiety; and it is a constant 
struggle to overcome and rise superior to first one, then 
another, besetting ill. True, natures differ widely, and 
where one will brood and mourn, another may, through 
buoyancy of disposition, successfully cry, " Away with mel- 
ancholy!" There can be no real pleasure, it would seem, 
in that which is mournful and sad, and yet there is that 
in the soul of man which makes many a pathetic story far 
more fascinating and attractive than the loveliest, wittiest 
matter could possibly prove. There is a mournful sweet- 
ness to some of the saddest of poetry which rivets the eye 
and chains the attention until the weirdly attractive lines 
have lodged in the memory, ready to be recalled in seri- 
ous moods with dreamy satisfaction. And it is often from 
the most gifted, able, and best-trained minds the sad- 
dest sentiments find expression. It seems as though the 
very extreme of sadness were reached in a definition of 
the word " pleasure" which appeared some years ago. 
Here it is: "Pleasure, the comma with which we divide 
our griefs." Was it not going too far? We have always 
thought so, and yet a companion definition of "sleep," 
from the pen of Matthew Henry, is hardly less impressively 
sad : " Sleep gives some intermission to the cares and pains 
and griefs that afflict us; it is the parenthesis of our sor- 
rows." Conclusions like these are not often reached by 
the young. It is well they are not; and yet the young, as 
well as the middle-aged and the old, need to be fortified 
against the depressing influences sure to overtake them in 
the strange, mixed journey of life. Gay surroundings 
never relieve, but only pall on a stricken heart. The 
old adage, that "misery likes company," is true to a cer- 
tain extent, and yet misery likes to choose its company 
quite as decidedly as does happiness. But all the accu- 
mulating events of life, especially its sorrows, its disap- 
pointments, its depressing losses, force the inquiry which 
frequently finds forcible utterance — how can people live in 
the world and endure to live without the religion of Jesus 
Christ and belief in the promises of the Bible? How, 
indeed! Of all the pitiable objects on earth, the most 
pitiable to our mind is an old sceptic. While some of the 
glamour of youth remains — while life still holds forth 
promises of bright days and joyous scenes, of merry re- 



346 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



unions and glad holidays, full of mirth and pleasure — it 
is piteous, even then, to see the affections entirely set on 
things of the earth. But after the moth of care and the 
corroding rust of sorrow have torn all the glamour of youth- 
ful promise and allurement away, when the great thief — 
time — has broken into the life and stolen most of its 
treasure away, if the support of religious faith be wanting, 
what but a lamentable wreck and ruin would remain ! But, 
turning from so melancholy a picture, it is delightful to 
consider how many bright, happy, hopeful Christians feel 
themselves comforted and their lives enriched, from year 
to year and from youth to age, by the sweet solace of re- 
ligious belief and a childlike trust in the unfailing promises 
of the Bible. And there is not a sad phase in life, not a 
depressing picture of memory, not a disappointment or 
sorrow, for which solace cannot be found, if the heart will 
only receive it. The world has been called a disciplina- 
rian; it is such, but discipline either hardens or softens 
the nature. When the divine voice told Saul of Tarsus it 
was hard to kick against the pricks, a very stern, abiding 
lesson was given to man for all time. And when Jesus 
Christ said, ki Come unto me, all ye that are weary and 
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," both invitation and 
promise were for all time also. If only men would " taste 
and see that the Lord is good" there would be small need 
to urge that the sweet solace of religion be tried as an 
antidote for all the sadness of mortal experiences. Yet it 
is true, sublimely true, that 

" Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal." 




MISSIONARY 



WORK. 



E willing to work for others, and be 
zealous in every good work. In 
this our day of missionary endeavor, 
when the subject is so constantly 
brought before us, one need not 
wait, nor be idle for want of work. Be active and busy. 
You know the need of missionary zeal, of missionary 
money, and the need of willing, working hands and ready 
hearts. You and I each bear our own responsibility in 
this matter. Can not each one of us do much more, if we 
have already done a little in our own way, to help this 
cause ? The steady progress of the work abroad and the 
added interest awakened each year at home, go far to make 
up much that is hopeful and encouraging for our own 
individual effort. What others have done, you can do. 
It is your own part that is needed in the great whole. 
If you do it not, some one part is left out, or filled by 
another whose zeal exceeds your own. 

Do you doubt your ability to do a great thing? Then 
just do a little thing in your own way for the Master. He 
will look not at the greatness of the gift given, or the 
deed done, but at the spirit back of it. The widow's mite, 

347 



348 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

in the estimation of our Lord, outweighed all the more 
costly gifts of the rich. " She hath done more than they 
all" was the comment of the Master. 

You are just where you should be; the soil of endeavor 
is about you, and the seed lies within your hand. None 
is denied this. It is not the quantity you hold, but the 
way in which you sow it, that will tell. Prayer breaks 
up the soil of doubt and fear, patience sows it, perseverance 
tends it, and, at last, will not faith reap it? 

The implement of labor a woman wields is commonly 
her needle. That is rather an insignificant instrument in 
one's hand, is it not ? But that needle of hers has wrought 
wonders in the sight of God. He knows how many poor 
and needy have been clothed and fed — unmarked save by 
him — with its cunning craft. It has often cost personal 
toil and sacrifice to do missionary work for the Master. 
It costs self, and its mean satisfaction. But in the end it 
pays. It has been truly said that, even in the heart of 
the most disinterested person, there is a secret sense of 
satisfaction, because of some good done to others. A good 
deed brings its own reward. How much more when done 
for his glory. That we are not always willing grows 
out of the fact that we are still unused to self-denial. 
We have not tasted the full measure of delight in loving 
service for him and his. 

We can all do something to bring others to Christ. 
We can at least bear testimony. John stood and looked 
at Jesus, then pointed out the way to others. "We are his 
witnesses," now and here. Do you mean to do something 
for him sometime? Do it now! Don't put it off! You 
cannot serve him by the things you mean to do. Doubt- 
ing work or dreaming work is no work. It is the hidden 
force within you that is waiting your pleasure. There 
lies your chance. If you have not money, give your work. 
Only give something. The right means will make itself 
felt. Half-willing disciples are not those who follow 
closest. Give willingly if you give at all. The rest 
will follow. 

There is your personal influence. Somebody looks to 
you for example, and will do very much as you do. Then, 
a quiet word, a seed sown where none fell before, a good 
deed done where none else have wrought, will bear fruit; 



MISSIONARY WORK. 



349 



or, if nothing else follow, you have for the time done your 
duty best where duty led. Take, then, that which you 
have, and use it for the Master's sake, never doubting but 
that he will be mindful of it. Will you do less than the 
flowers, whose fragrance is all for others, and none for 
self? A beautiful ministry theirs. Ours should be like it. 

" Who gives to whom hath naught been given, 
His gift in need, though small indeed, 
As is the grass blade's wind-blown seed, 
Is large as earth and rich as heaven." 




j?ig£tiM 



IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. 




N everything!" O no, dear Lord, 
Thou canst not mean that we, 
Who have been tried and chastened sore, 
Should render thanks to Thee 
For all the sad afflictions, Lord, 
Which from Thy hand were sent ? 
O surely, words like these are ne'er 
For such poor suff'rers meant. 

everything!" The good, the ill, 
The poverty, the pain, 
The deep distress which sin hath wrought 
And hope and trust has slain ? 
no! 'twere mockery, indeed, 

offer thanks for these, 
ore meet and fit it were to bow 
tears, on bended knees. 

In everything!" O Father, yes, 

How easy it were then 

To render thanks, if only joy . 

And happiness had been 

Our portion, and our guests alone 

Throughout the year just gone, 

O surely, then, our lips and hearts 

Would overflow with song. 

In everything!" O must we kiss 
The rod Thy hand extends, 
Until in deep humility 
Our stricken spirit bends ? 
Oh! then, dear Lord, we ask of Thee, 
Give patience, faith, and grace, 
And help us see behind the clouds 
The shining of Thy face. 

In everything!" Ah, yes! for then 
Our hearts can give Thee praise, 
Our lips give thanks, that Thou in love 
Hath ordered all our ways. 
Whatever is, is right and best, 
Forgive if we rebel, 
For whether joy or grief, we know 
Thou doest all things well. 

350 



GIVING THANKS. 




NY one accustomed to 
reading the Scriptures 
cannot fail to have no- 
ticed how continually 
all through the books of 
the Old and New Testa- 
ment the giving of thanks is en- 
joined upon all tribes and people. 
It is easy to count in a very short 
time more than a score of instances 
in which the Psalmist speaks of giving 
thanks, and the expression is generally 
added, "To the Lord." Among the 
strongest of these expressions are: "It is a good 
thing to give thanks unto the Lord:" "O Lord, 
my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever:" "At 
midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee;" also 
in repeated instances he exhorts the people to come 
before the Lord " with thanksgiving." Paul, in writing 
his various epistles, repeatedly reminds the people ro 
be thankful; to the Colossians he says, "And be ye 
thankful;" to the Phillippians, "With thanksgiving let 
your requests be made known unto God;" to the Ephe- 
sians, " Giving thanks unto God and the Father in the 
name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" to the Hebrews, "By 

35i 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 353 

him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifices of praise to 
God continually . . . giving thanks to his name." And 
in the solemn Revelation we find, " Blessing and glory, 
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, 
and might, be unto our God forever and ever. " These 
are a few of the passages where the giving of thanks is 
enjoined in the Bible. In the same chapter of Colossians 
in which Paul writes, " And be ye thankful, " a little farther 
on he says, "And whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to 
the Lord, and not unto men." The chapter concludes 
with the words, "And there is no respect of persons." 
So here we have three distinct and important reminders. 
And first, it is seen to be a simple and sacred duty to be 
thankful; then thankfulness should be rendered in a 
hearty, sincere manner, very different from the lax, in- 
different way in which we often acknowledge obligation 
to our earthly friends; and again, none are exempt from 
this required duty of expressing gratitude to God for 
mercies received. The king on his throne, the rich man 
in his stately mansion, the cottager, the inmate of the 
almshouse, all alike are commanded to be thankful, and 
each and all have much to be thankful for. Every year 
we live increases our cause for gratitude that we live at 
the present time, and in our day and generation. The 
dreadful day of martyrdom, of the inquisition, the dungeon, 
of persecution, banishment, and other terrors from which 
Christians have suffered, and over which they have tri- 
umphed, has long since passed away. Never was liberty 
to serve God and to obey the dictates of conscience more 
entirely to be enjoyed than in this blessed country and at 
the present day. The accumulated knowledge and ex- 
perience of all the known past are largely within our 
reach, with the immense profit and instruction to be 
derived from their useful teachings. But causes for thanks- 
giving to Almighty God are too abounding to be enumer- 
ated. The question arises, How best can return be made 
for some of these, the great blessings of a wise Creator ? 
Adequate return we can scarcely approach, because finite 
gratitude cannot adequately compare with infinite bounte- 
ousness. True, we can say, in prayer, our hearts are thank- 
ful for all the goodness and mercies which crown our 
lives, but although this is requisite, it still is not nearly 
23 



354 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



enough. Gratitude, like faith, should show itself in works, 
and in generous, gracious works. It is not enough, as the 
Bible warns us, that we say to our destitute brother or 
sister — and especially at this season of lavish provision 
and feasting in our homes: " Depart in peace; be ye 
warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not 
those things needful to the body." One word in the verse 
embodies the best manifestation which can be used to ex- 
press gratitude to God — " Give !" and none so poor but they 
have something of value to give to others. The very poor, 
those who are objects of charity themselves, can give 
their prayers, and of them only such things as they have 
to give will be required. Nor need it be said that prayers 
and good wishes cost nothing. We take it, it often costs 
considerable in a certain way for the poor to pray for the 
rich. Said a very poor woman a little while ago, " I used 
often to watch with the sick before I was sick myself." 
Did it cost her nothing to watch all night beside the couch 
of pain ? In a thousand ways we can minister to each 
other's needs and necessities. And let each professing 
Christian especially remember another Bible assertion, 
" For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much 
be required." Conscience will easily decide what should 
be the proportion given back to the Lord as a thank- 
offering at this time of thanksgiving and prayer. Above 
all, let life be consecrated to his service, and then from it 
will naturally flow the good deeds acceptable in his sight. 

" Be ours the bliss of holy living 

With love divine enthroned within, 
Our life a psalm of glad thanksgiving 
Till heavenly songs our lips begin." 



iStfe^ 




NEW YEAR THOUGHTS. 




EFORE us lies the new year, 
pure and unsullied yet as the 
untrodden snow. If we could 
lift the veil which han^s over 
the future, what would we 
meet of joy or sorrow, of great- 
ness or distinction in this 
coming cycle of months? 

The probabilities are that 
this year will be an ordinary, 
commonplace year, for most 
of us must expect to live ordi- 
nary lives and attract no at- 
tention or admiration from the 
great world. The duties 
which will press upon us will 
for the most part be those which spring out of our natural 
relations, family, social, business, and religious. Life's 
necessities will keeo us from turning aside from its usual 
path. Whatever our life has been, directs to a greater 
or less extent what it will be; we take up the burden of 
living with the new year if it has be ;n. a burden, and we 
take up the joy of living if it has been a joy. Whatever 
service we do for God or man will probably be done along 
the line of daily avocations, and the routine of life will 
go on as usual, daily worries and cares, daily joys and 
happiness, daily work and prayer for daily bread. 

Shall we turn away from this life, and call it monoto- 
nous and uneventful ? It takes years and years of such 
things to make up an ordinary life, and those who despise 
or complain about the prosinessand humdrum or the quiet 
routine are sadly out of tune with life. 

Some people are always pining for something higher 
than this daily life affords, and have such a high ideal 
that the real seems of no earthly value. They think they 
could shine in some lofty place, and because they are not 
there, they do not try to shine in their own place. 

There never were truer words spoken than our Lord 

355 



35 6 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

uttered, " He that is faithful in that which is least, is 
faithful in that which is great." If you hide your candle 
under a bushel in an humble position you will do the same 
when you are put in a high position. One's place in life 
is never at a distance from where he is, one's vocation is 
always the simple round of duties that the passing hour 
brings. With these probabilities before us, what attitude 
shall we assume toward the new year? Shall we make 
the vital mistake of thinking that there is no opportunity 
for ordinary lives to be beautiful and useful ? 

One who has endeared himself to many by his writings, 
says: "In the common relations of life there is room not 
only for duty, but for heroism. No ministry is more 
pleasing to the Master than that of cheerful and hearty 
faithfulness to lowly duty, where there is no pen to write 
its history, and no voice to proclaim its praise. To live 
well in one's place in the world, doing one's most prosaic 
work diligently and honestly, is. to live grandly. One 
who fights well the battle with his own lusts and tempers, in 
the midst of the countless temptations and provocations 
of every-day life, is a Christian hero." But there are 
possibilities also awaiting us in this new, untried year. 
How do we know but that the years that are past are all 
the years God means to give us on this earth, that we have 
not now seen the light of our last New Year's day? 

This year may find us companions of the dead. There 
is that in the air, in the sky, in the earth, in ourselves 
which may bring the end at any moment. Are we prepared 
for that great change, and if not, is it not the part of wis- 
dom to prepare at once ? 

Perhaps some people find themselves to-day face to face 
with new and difficult duties. In view of the compara- 
tive uselessness of their past lives, they may feel called 
upon to engage in more active work for the Master, to 
speak to this friend or that about his soul's salvation. 
Peculiar difficulties and trials may lie in the path of others, 
and the future may seem to hold responsibilities that they 
dare not assume alone, lest they make a mistake. There 
is but one thing to do. Ask the Lord's guidance first of 
all, then go steadily forward, leaving him to deter you 
if you are not in the right road, and he will do it. He 
will direct the paths of all who commit their ways unto him. 



THE HOPES OF EASTER-TIDE. 




HE " sweetly solemn " season 
of Easter comes to the Chris- 
tian Church when everything 
in nature seems in sympathy 
with the sacred observance. 
Nature is waking from her long 
sleep of the winter, and is 
slowly, yet surely, gathering up 
all her regenerative forces, pre- 
paring to clothe the patient 
earth with new life and verdure 
everywhere. The brave crocus 
and hardy snow-drop are peep- 
ing up from the yielding soil, 
giving unfailing promise of 
other blooms soon to come forth and gladden the spirits 
with bright colors and fragrant scents. The lengthening 
days and longer twilights succeed the brief, dark days of 
the rigorous season just passed. Each spring-time pre- 
sents a strong suggestion of the resurrection of the body. 
That which so lately seemed so cold and dead is instinct 
with new life and beauty. And no matter how long the 
winter may have been, how cold its nights, how fleeting 
its days, or how severe its storms, there is a set time, and 
that not so very far away, when the warmth and bright- 
ness of spring will chase away the clouds, the coldness, 
and the darkness of the season of frost and snow. And 
this because the Bible has said that while the world endures, 
seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter 
shall return each in due season. And even as life succeeds 
death in the world of nature, so in like manner the Script- 
ures teach that after death of the body comes a new and 
spiritual life; and as Christ rose from death and from the 

357 



35 8 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

grave, so the dead in Christ shall rise. Alas! for the 
modern school of unbelievers, scientists, so-called, who 
dare to raise their voices in opposition to sacred revela- 
tion, and attempt to teach that science only deals with 
true revelation, that many assurances of the Bible deal 
with the supernatural and unfounded theories which in 
the light of science shrink away, becoming null and void. 
Yet the true believer sings on, "Begone, unbelief, my 
Saviour is near," and his reply to the seemingly learned, 
yet shallow arguments of the scientist is simply, " I know 
in whom I have believed." It was refreshing and inspirit- 
ing to recently have come across these words in reading: 
"The Christian verb is 'we know,' not 'we hope, we calcu- 
late, we infer, we think,' but 'we know.'' And it becomes 
us to apprehend for ourselves the full blessedness and 
power of the certitude which Christ has given to us by 
the certainties which he has brought us." The ring of 
conviction is in the sturdy assertions, and yet it is but 
the echo of the language of Scripture, which gives out no 
uncertain sound in declaring its truths. Spurgeon says: 
" By passing through the death our Lord has made a 
thoroughfare for us. We take death and the grave in 
transit now; they do not hinder our advance to glory and 
immortality and eternal life." No Christian need fear to 
follow where his Lord has led. The lessons of Easter are 
plain and full of encouragement. What is most needed 
in this age of doubt and scepticism is a firm adherence to 
the literal teachings of Holy Writ. It is a thousand 
pities that Christians will concern themselves about the 
questions continually rising and being thrust upon the 
world by those who, having made shipwreck of their own 
faith, would seek to weaken and, if possible, to overthrow 
the faith of others. Cling fast to the promises of Almighty 
God, to the assurances of the Saviour. Where shall the 
mourner go for comfort if ever the story of the resurrec- 
tion loses its power? On what scientific revelation in all 
the broad world shall the dying man base his hopes of a 
bright resurrection morn if once he lets go of a staunch 
belief in, and reliance on, the fact of the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible ? As age increases and 
faith strengthens or weakens according as the Christian 
trusts] the promises of the Saviour, let every Christian 



THE HOPES OE EASTER-TIDE. 



359 



recognize the importance of holding fast to the Word of 
God, trusting its every lesson and clinging to its teach- 
ings, which will surely prove in return as an anchor to 
the soul both sure and steadfast. And of Easter, who 
can think but with gratitude and rejoicing! — the most 
hopeful, blessed anniversary in all the Christian's calen- 
dar of days. 

" Hail ! day of light and life and love, 

Of Heaven's triumph o'er the grave, 
When Christ, who left his throne above 

Man's soul from sin and death to save, 
Arose again ! Hail ! glorious morn, 

That breakest on the sinner's night, 
When we again, through Christ, are born, 

And with him rise into the light !" 





SWEETNESS OF SPIRIT. 



OME Christian men carry the 
charm of an attractive atmosphere 
with them. It is a pleasure just 
to look at them. Even when one 
differs in judgment from them as 
far as the poles are asunder, one 
is none the less drawn toward and 
fascinated by them. There is such 
sweetness in their spirit, such 
gracious gentleness in their man- 
ner, such kind catholicity, such 
manly frankness, such thorough 
self-respect on the one hand, and 
on the other hand such perfect regard for the judgment 
of others, that one cannot help loving them, however con- 
science may compel conclusions, on matters of mutual 
consequence, unlike those which they have reached. 

These are not weak men, either. What people like in 
them is not that, with the everlasting unvaryingness of a 
mirror, they reflect back the thought which is presented to 
them, and so are always at an agreement with others; 
sometimes one is even more drawn to them when they are 
in opposition, because they are so true and just that their 
aspect carries with it all the refreshment of variety with 
none of the friction of hostility. 

Natural temper has something to do with this. God 
gives a great gift to a man when he gives him a sunny 
disposition, a candid spirit, and the instinct of fairness in 
a controversy. It is exceedingly hard for some men to be 
just. They are jealous, suspicious, and morose in their 
natural bent. It is hard for them to believe good of others. 
It is easy for them always to put the worst construction 
upon their conduct. It sometimes seems as if it were almost 
more than grace itself can do to transform their tempers 
so that they will be just toward any man against whom 
they have been led to have a prejudice. 

360 



IF THEY COULD COME 
BACK. 



UPPOSE God should hear the 
prayer which we may all have 
uttered in our first dumb despair, 
and uttered again as the weary days 
go on, to send back to us those 
whose going has taken away from 
us the joy of living. Suppose, for 
the sake of our High Priest, who 
can be touched with the feeling of 
our infirmities, and through whom 
we can come boldly to the Throne 
of Grace, he should forgive the 
prayer and grant our request: would we our- 
selves be willing for them to come back? Oh, 
we are so selfish that few of us could have the 
strength to say no; we are so unwilling to let 
our beloved sleep while we are. ourselves waking 
and in the battle. We cannot even realize 
Ji^xW what their coming back would be. We cannot 
understand from what they are freed. We are 
so used to being bowed down by burdens that 
we don't know what it is for them to be un- 
burdened, with a heart filled with happiness 
unalloyed. We are so used to sickness, pain, 
and guarding against hurt that never to say 
" I am sick " is incomprehensible. We have 
groped so long darkly, the unknown future 
often a dread, we forget that in that land they 
see no longer " through a glass darkly," but 
face to face, all that seemed strange to them here un- 
derstood and known. 

Yes, we forget just the little we know about the other 

361 




362 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

world and the joy they have entered into, when we cry for 
them to come again to us. We forget everything some- 
times, except how hard it is to live without them. 

But think what it would be to them to come back; to 
take up the burdens they dropped, and bear them again when 
they know what it is to be unburdened; the fret and anx- 
ious care for the morrow, when they have been where no 
morrow ever comes; to mingle again with the envious, 
hateful, and malicious, when they have mingled with 
those who know nothing of slander, malice, or lies, but 
only love; to come from where love reigns supreme back 
to where envy and hatred are known; to live with the 
sinful when they have dwelt among the sinless; to bear 
pain when they have tested what it is never to say " I am 
sick;" to fac^the piercing storms of the earth when their 
abode has been where skies are always serene and storms 
cannot beat upon them, where cold and heat are unknown; 
to battle once more with temptations, when they have once 
overcome and have been " clad in white raiment ;" to fight 
again with sin and death when they, through him who 
died for us, have conquered even the last enemy; to suffer 
disappointment when they have been dwelling where 
every wish is gratified, their will subjected perfectly to 
the Father's; to strive with the multitude, unsatisfied and 
longing, when they have known what it is never to hunger 
or thirst for anything; to struggle in life, growing dis- 
couraged again, longing for rest as we do — not the" gain" 
which it is to be with Christ, but for rest, almost the 
rest of forgetfulness — when, they have once " obtained joy 
and gladness" and " for them sorrow and sighing have 
flown away;" to be weary, to suffer the grievousness of 
sinning, the conflict with temptation, the bitter yielding 
to it, when they had before " come out of great tribula- 
tions, and had washed their robes and made them white 
in the blood of the Lamb;" to weep when all tears had 
once been "wiped from their eyes;" to come back to 
turmoil and wrangling when they have known peace — the 
peace which floweth as a river, abiding in " Jerusalem, a 
quiet habitation;" to know here no resting-place when 
they have dwelt in a mansion prepared for them from 
eternity for eternity, "a tabernacle which shall never be 
taken down, not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be 



IF THEY COULD COME- BACK. 363 

moved;" to gaze only upon the poor beauties of earth 
when they have seen "the King in his beauty and beheld 
the land which is very far off;" to have only our faces in 
which to joy when they have looked upon the face of the 
Lamb; to walk and talk with us when they have walked 
and talked with the redeemed and the Redeemer; to knit 
the brow with anxious care when his name has been upon 
their foreheads; to leave Heaven for earth; the Lord 
himself for us! 

And what have we to offer them if they could come 
bach ? A share in our sorrows, a part of our cares, and 
our love — a love poor, weak, and selfish beside the perfect 
love they have known. That is all. 

Better, then, that for them " there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there beany more 
pain; for the former things are passed away." 





OLD-FASHIONED 
CHRISTIANS. 



T is matter for which to thank 
God that there is a consider- 
able number of them yet living 
on the earth. And if the 
question should arise : In what 
do they differ from Christians 
of more modern times? the 
answer would come promptly 
something in this wise: They 
are Bible Christians; Chris- 
tians who have obeyed the 
Scripture requirement, and 
have come out from the world, and are sepa- 
rate, and try to touch not the forbidden things 
of the world. They do not take the Sunday 
newspaper nor allow the dust to collect on 
the family Bible while they toil through 
the almost exhaustless columns of the unhal- 
lowed sheet. They do not claim a right to 
exercise all freedom, not to say license of 
action, as to how and where they shall spend 
their time, even as professed worldlings would 
do. They attempt no defiance of the Divine 
affirmation, " Ye cannot serve God and mam- 
mon. " The theatre is not a favorite resort, 
the progressive-euchre party and "german," 
with their late hours, do not form a part of 
their regular engagements. The house of 
God is a place of great attraction for them; 
they stand by the minister, and are his un- 
failing friends as long as he needs their stanch support. 
The meeting of prayer witnesses to the duty and privilege 
they esteem it to stand up and proclaim themselves on 
the Lord's side, and even when it involves cross-bearing 
or' sacrifice, they will try boldly to speak words of good 

364 



OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTIANS. 3^5 



cheer and encouragement to others who like themselves 
are striving to walk in the narrow way. 

When the ruler of the nation or governor of the State 
appoints a thanksgiving or fast day, and recommends that 
in the morning the people should assemble in their cus- 
tomary places of worship to thank God for his manifold 
blessings, or to humbly sue for forgiveness of sin and 
grace to walk more worthily of their profession, they make 
an effort to show respect for the just and reasonable require- 
ment, and duly present themselves on such occasions 
before the Lord in his house. On the Sabbath they observe 
the rules of the service, joining in song, responsive read- 
ing and prayer, and with proper reverence refrain from 
conversation or other behavior inappropriate to the sacred 
hour of worship. 

Ofttimes, to the disgust and disapproval of younger and 
more " liberal" Christians, they stoutly and conscientiously 
oppose certain entertainments, including humorous recita- 
tions and exhibitions of buffoonery, being given from the 
pulpit platform. Remembering that the place has been 
solemnly dedicated to the worship of Almighty God, they 
cannot so far ignore all that that implies, as to consent to 
such glaring infringement of the sanctity of the sacred 
spot as would .be involved, in converting it into a secular 
rostrum, permitting of light, frivolous, and fantastic shows. 
They neither attend themselves nor allow their children to 
attend the popular Sunday-evening concert, nor do they 
visit, ride, or receive visitors on the day of rest. They 
accept the truths and doctrines of the Bible, just as they 
stand. Recognizing no safe reason why they should for- 
sake the old-time beliefs of sincere and scholarly Chris- 
tians who have gone before them, they believe that when 
the Bible says: "It is appointed unto men once to die, 
but after that the judgment," the law was made once 
for all, and that no convincing proof can all at once be 
discovered for supposing that, after all, judgment will 
be deferred until there has been further opportunity for 
repentance beyond the graye. 

In the world they have tribulation. Many who would 
naturally be supposed to support their views and uphold 
their doctrines are the ones to call them old-fashioned, 
and behind the times. What times, pray? The times 



3 66 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



when the Scriptures were supposed to mean what they say ? 
Not that exactly, but these times, these days of " broad 
views" and " advanced thought." But when they die — 
ay, when they die! It must be acknowledged then, if 
never before, that it is beautiful to have been an old- 
fashioned Christian ! There are no doubts concerning the 
future, no dread shrinking from " a leap in the dark," but 
only untroubled confidence in him in whom they have 
believed, and of his abundant ability to keep that which 
they have committed unto him against that day. They 
know that their Redeemer liveth, and that a crown of 
righteousness is laid up for them, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, will give them at that day. Yes, it is 
glorious at the last to have been an old-fashioned Christian ! 
They have fought a good fight, they have kept the faith, 
and as they approach the river of death they are soothed 
and sustained by the old-time promise : " When thou passeth 
through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the 
rivers, they shall not overflow thee." And they are not 
afraid, because of another old-time song of victory : " Yea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and 
thy staff they comfort me." 




ON CHRISTMAS DAY. 




%w T would sometimes 
seem matter for 
wonder that the 
birthday of the 
Saviour should be 
celebrated at this season of the 
year. But after much discussion 
and study it has, we believe, 
been generally agreed that Christ 
came to earth about this time. 
We associate all that is pleas- 
antest in nature with summer skies, fresh 
foliage and springing flowers, and had the 
coming of this life been heralded by 
singing of birds and bursting of buds and 
blossoms, by warm breezes and sunny 
skies, it would to many minds have 
seemed in keeping with the glad event 
of the Saviour's birth. But others among 
our best thinkers go far beyond' the first 
superficial "seeming" as to the fitness of 
times and events. Washington Irving, 
in his delightful "Sketch-Book," says: 
" There is something in the very season 
of the year that gives a charm to the 
festivity of Christmas. At other times 
we derive a great portion of our pleasures from the mere 
beauties of nature. ... As the hollow blast of wintry 
wind rushes through the hall, claps distant doors, whistles 
about the casement, and rumbles down the chimney, what 
can be more grateful than that feeling of sober and sheltered 
security with which we look round upon the comfortable 
chamber and the scene of domestic hilarity? ... It 
seemed to throw open every door and unlock every heart, 
and . . . even the poorest cottage welcomed the festive 
season with green decorations of bay and holly, the cheer- 
ful fire gleamed its rays through the lattice, inviting the 
passengers to raise the latch and join the gossip-knot hud- 

3^7 



368 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



died round the hearth, beguilmg the long evening with 
legendary jokes and oft-told Christmas tales." What 
more cheerful picture could be drawn of the merry-making 
in Old England in by-gone years ? But the writer goes on 
to deplore that " modern refinement" has given society 
a more smooth and polished, but less characteristic, surface 
than when these simple joys were pictured. The disap- 
pearance of the games and ceremonies formerly common 
to the day is subject for regret. In this connection he 
adds: "The world has become more worldly. There is 
more of dissipation and less of enjoyment." In these two 
sentences lurks much of truth which Christians would do 
well to ponder. With all the smoothness and gloss of 
" modern refinement," is there not too much that is merely 
fanciful and shallow creeping into our religious lives and 
beliefs? Even as the simple games and ceremonies of by- 
gone Christmas-tides are fading from the recollection of 
the present age, are not many of the old and once-cherished 
forms of belief and trust fading out of the hearts of Chris- 
tian people? Verily, the world is continually growing 
more worldly. Yet there is no faith like the old faith. 
Jesus Christ was born a simple, humble child. No dross 
of 'worldly sentiment or insincerity ever crept into his 
plain teachings or unsullied life. What he taught his 
disciples nearly nineteen hundred years ago remains un- 
changed in spirit and doctrine to-day. The strait gate 
and narrow way by which his followers were told they 
must go to find eternal life, are the same which must be 
taken to-day in order to reach the eternal city of God. 
The life of the Saviour while on earth was made up of 
hard, sterile experiences from the very beginning. Like 
the season in which he was born, there was coldness rather 
than warmth, darkness rather than sunlight, while fierce 
storms of temptations and peril beset his lonely way. No 
" cheerful fire glanced its rays through the lattice " of his 
earthly home, for he had not where to lay his head. 
Although the wise men of the East brought gifts and laid 
them at the Divine infant's feet, yet he through whom we 
enjoy light, gladness, freedom from sin and condemnation 
through belief in his teachings, was a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief. 

Oh, let us who profess a belief in his dear name really be- 



OX CHRISTMAS DAY. 



;6 9 



lieve in him! Let us bring the offering of true, sincere hearts 
on this his natal day. With the simple, earnest faith of 
olden times, let us cling to the old beliefs, cling to the 
precepts and promises of Christ just as they are written, 
and bring to his feet this day as a love-token the offering, 
always acceptable in his sight, our sincere, grateful love; 
a willingness to sacrifice for others, and a determination to 
follow in the footsteps of our Lord, the blessed Christ. 




24 



FIDELITY. 



p* 1 -f 


r : itli 



HOUGH many 'of the 
followers of Ulysses 
were dragged to tor- 
ture by Polyphemus, 
and had their heads 
dashed against the 
ground, they would not 
confess a word con- 
cerning their lord and 
master, Ulysses, nor 
discover the long piece 
of wood that was put 
in the fire, prepared to 
put out the Cyclop's eye; but rather suffered themselves to 
be devoured raw than to disclose any one of their master's 
secrets. This was an example of fidelity and reservedness 
not to be paralleled. An instance of military fidelity 
occurred in the town of Bardosek. It shows the discipline 
of the Russian army. A sentinel on duty, having been 
forgotten, remained at his post during a conflagration. 
His sentry-box was consumed, and his clothes were on fire, 
when a corporal arrived to relieve him. The emperor, 
hearing of the circumstances, sent the man fifty roubles, 
decorated him with the order of St. Anne, and gave instruc- 
tions for him to be made a non-commissioned officer. 

Anastasius, a zealous Christian, greatly coveted and often 
prayed for the martyr's crown. In Cesarea he openly 
rebuked a company of magicians. He confessed that he 
had once been one himself, but renounced the practice, and 
became a follower of Christ. Upon this he was thrown into 
a dungeon. After three days he was brought out, chained 
by the foot to another prisoner. His neck and one foot 
were drawn and fastened near together by a chain, and in 
this way he was compelled to carry stones. He was 

37o 



FIDELITY. 371 

upbraided, his beard was plucked out, he was kicked and 
beaten. Called again before the governor and urged to 
pronounce the magian incantation, he would only reply: 
"I am a Christian." He was then disrobed, and .beaten 
with knotty clubs, without being bound, which he endured 
without moving or flinching. After this he was offered 
a choice of office in the king's service if he would only 
privately renounce Christ in words; if he would only do 
this little thing he might adhere to him in his heart. 
Anastasius replied that he would never even seem to dis- 
semble. He was then sent to King Chosroes, of Persia, 
by whom liberal offers were repeated, and when rejected 
were followed by threats and reproaches. The martyr 
said to the king's messenger, " Do not give yourself so 
much trouble about* me; by the grace of Christ I am not 
to be moved." He was inhumanly beaten day after day, 
and loaded with bitter reproaches for having rejected the 
honors and bounties of the king. Heavy weights were 
laid upon his limbs, cutting to the bone. His endurance, 
patience, and tranquillity were so great that they were 
reported to the king. One more attempt was made to over- 
come him. He was hung up by one hand for two hours, 
with heavy weights attached to his feet. Seeing that his 
will could not be overcome, preparations were made to 
strangle him. He rejoiced, and thanked God for so happy 
a conclusion to his life. He was strangled a.d. 628. 

Henry IV., on the evening of Agincourt, found the 
chivalric David Gam, though lying mortally wounded, still 
grasping the banner which, through the fight, his strength 
had borne and his right arm defended. Often had the 
monarch noticed that pennon waving in the foremost van 
of the men of England, who that day pierced, broke, and 
routed the proud ranks of France. The king knighted 
him as he lay. The hero died, but dying was ennobled. 

The noble General Rice, expiring on the field of Spott- 
sylvania Court-house, desired to be turned over. "Which 
way?" asked a lieutenant. "Toward the enemy," was 
his indistinct reply. He was turned so as to face in 
death the foe he fought in life. He was asked, "How 
does Christ seem to you now?" "Near by," was his an- 
swer. The hero died as he had lived, true to his country 
and to his God. 



372 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

A story of remarkable fidelity is told by Percy. When 
Lord Rawdon was in South Carolina, during the American 
war, he had to send an express of great importance 
through a country filled with the enemy, which a corporal 
of the Seventeenth Dragoons, of known courage and 
intelligence, was selected to escort. They had not pro- 
ceeded far when they were fired upon, the expressman 
killed, and the corporal wounded in the side. Careless of 
his wounds he thought but of his duty. He snatched the 
despatch from the dying man and rode on till, from the 
loss of blood, he fell, when, fearing that the despatch 
would be taken by the enemy, he thrust it into the wound 
until it closed upon it. He was found next day by a 
British patrol, with a smile of conscious virtue on his 
countenance, with only life sufficient* remaining to point 
to the fatal depository of his secret. In searching the 
wound they found the cause of his death ; for the surgeon 
declared that it was not itself mortal, but rendered so by 
the insertion of the paper. 

Dr. Robinson writes thus of Christian fidelity: "There 
have been men on this earth of God's, of whom it was 
simply true that it was easier to turn the sun from its 
course than these from the paths of honor. There have 
been men, like John the Baptist, who could speak the truth 
which had made their own spirits free, with the axe above 
their neck. There have been men redeemed in their inmost 
being by Christ, on whom tyrants and mobs have done 
their worst, and when, like Stephen, the stones crashed in 
upon their brain, or when their flesh hissed or crackled in 
the flames, were calmly superior to it all." 



THE PRECIOUSNESS OF CHRIST, 




RECIOUSNESS is relative; 
the value of stones, gold, 
or merchandise of any vari- 
ety is changeable. Politi- 
, cal economists distinguish 

x \/; iSfixL/^F/ valnt as intrinsic and ex- 
changeable, and by intrin- 
sic value they mean utility, 
adaptation to the wants and 
desires of men. But wants 
and desires vary; even in 
the means of subsistence 
there is varying demand 
for varying kinds of food, 
so that while the whole 
amount needed may be the same, different kinds vary in 
their utility, and consequently in their value. 

Nothing earthly is absolute in value; a greater supply 
than demand renders things comparatively valueless. 
Rarity increases value. If diamonds should become as 
plentiful as pebbles, their preciousness would be lost. 

Location, too, has much to do with relative value. 
Even the most valuable things are valuable only in the 
place where they are wanted. A castaway upon a desert 
island would care more for a crust of bread than the most 
precious gem in a king's diadem. It is impossible to name 
anything that is absolutely valuable in itself; everything 
must bear some relation to another, and meet some desire 
or want to acquire value. Earth contains no absolutely 
precious thing. 

But not so in the other world; there we may find pos- 
sessions that are intrinsically precious, and above all else 
is Christ precious to believers. He meets all the wants 
of man, and to each one's experience and capacity he ap- 
pears in a different way, speaking words suited to each 
need, and each soul alone can tell how precious Jesus is 
to it. 

373 



374 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

In the hour of conviction of sin there can be none so 
precious as he who says, "Thy sins, which are many, are 
forgiven thee." In the hour of sickness none so precious 
as he who says, "I will make all thy bed in thy sickness." 
Who can be more precious in the day of trial than he who 
says, "All things work together for good to them that 
love God;" and in the hushed chamber of death, "I will 
be with thee, my rod and my staff shall comfort thee"? 
When at last we shall see him as he is, who shall estimate 
the preciousness of his approbation, "Well done, good 
and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord " ? 

Most believers have come to the rock on which we stand 
through great trouble and darkness. It is not natural for 
us to trust another for our greatest blessing, and it seems 
incredible that we need do nothing for the priceless boon 
of salvation. Almost all of us can look backward to the 
time when, thinking that we knew better than God, we 
would try every other saviour except Jesus Christ. We tried 
by our good works to become worthy of eternal life, and 
what a hard road we travelled; uphill work, and rough 
and thorny to our feet. Duty was our only inspiration. 
We do far better now with less difficulty, when love is our 
inspiration and duty is pleasure, because God's will is 
ours. We can afford to forego the pleasures of the world, 
because we have found something far more precious. 
There is but one name given under heaven whereby we 
must be saved, and having discovered the wretchedness of 
every other refuge we have learned to prize the one only 
Saviour because he is the only one. Besides him there is 
no other, and because we were sinners and needed pardon, 
because we were pilgrims and needed guidance, because 
we were lost and needed redemption, because we are 
mortal and long for eternal life, and believe that Christ 
can and will confer it, therefore he is precious as the only 
Saviour of mankind. 

The smallest amount of Christian experience brings to 
the heart the consciousness of Christ's preciousness, and 
what is true at first is true in an increasing degree after- 
ward. The glow and thrill of the first love may not al- 
ways remain, but there never comes a time when the 
believer will not be able to say that Christ is precious. 

And this becomes a practical matter, when preciousness 



THE PRECIOUSNESS OF CHRIST. 375 



produces love and love seeks an outlet. We can find this 
outlet in benevolence, self-sacrifice, forbearance. Having 
obtained such a precious treasure, count no possession too 
precious to be given up for him. 

Out of an abounding love, let our gifts to Christ and for 
Christ abound in word and deed and possessions. Let us 
acknowledge our indebtedness to him by generosity and 
fervent zeal for his cause. There are still many who know 
nothing of this precious Saviour by experience, and our 
hearts should yearn after those who are without this pre- 
cious boon, and we ought to entreat them to share our joy. 

Is it not strange, in view of its value, that any one 
needs to be urged to accept the salvation purchased with 
Christ's precious blood? Surely there can be nothing of 
equal loveliness and preciousness in this sinful world. 
The united testimony of the millions in heaven and earth 
who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ is that he is 
precious, the only infinitely precious one in the universe. 
To all who believe, he is precious. Do you believe? 




<v ^r ^W*-^ 






YOUR SUNDAY READING. 




E so often hear it said that 
" what is good enough to read 
on a week-day is good enough 
to read on Sunday." As a gen- 
eral rule, those who make this 
remark do* not read anything 
particularly good on a week- 
day. So the reading which 
they continue on a day which 
God has set apart as a day of 
holiness is often very light and 
all of this world, if not directly 
irreligious, certainly nothing 
which will help the reader on in the narrow path. " But 
Sabbath was made for man," you quote, " not man for the 
Sabbath." Yes, but it was made to give you refreshment 
for soul as well as body, and for you to rest from worldly 
books and thoughts as well as occupations. It was made, 
too, for a day when you should draw nearer to God, and 
everything you do on that day should be done to draw you 
nearer to him. All should be done with that purpose. It 
is his time and should be spent with him. Have you 
never, after being all day with a friend, carried home with 
you the sound of his voice, his tricks of speech, even, his 
gestures, his words and opinions, until you feel that he 
will be so real to you that you cannot realize that he is far 
away ? Well, such a day with the Lord Sunday should be. 
This one day in seven was made for you to dwell spiritually 
with him, and your reading should be for that purpose. 
You should draw so near to him that his presence is felt. 
He should become a living presence beside you. On 
Sunday, he should be the guest in your heart and thoughts. 
Study his life upon earth, not only in his Word, but in the 
writings of others, and in books of devotional reading, 

376 



YOUR SUNDAY READING. 377 

so that when eventide comes you can indeed say, " I have 
walked with God to-day." You will be stronger for what 
the week will bring you. You will arise on the morrow 
with a feeling of nearness to him you never had when you 
spent the day in light reading. The memories of this kind 
of reading will stay by you all the week, calling you to it 
again, and so calling you to him. 

If this sacred day is devoted to his worship, and when 
away from his house, to the study of the example we are 
bidden to follow, your growth in grace will be certain. 
Your aim is to grow more like the Master and to be nearer 
to him; then why neglect this great aid? Why, because 
some think it no actual sin, indulge in light reading on 
Sunday and continue it, when it certainly makes you no 
better ? 

There is nothing negative in religion or growth in grace. 
Whatever you do you know helps or hinders. Sundays 
even are helps or hindrances according as they are em- 
ployed. What is read on that day is a help or hindrance. 
Can you say that your indifferent reading will help you to 
grow to his full stature, knowing you feel no nearer to him 
when the book is finished and laid aside, and your thoughts, 
which should have been his, were very far off ? Then you 
have been hindered; the day has brought your soul no re- 
freshment even if you have rested your mind and body. 
You are farther away from him, and the day which was made 
for you has been lost. Lost ! one day ! when your days 
on earth are so " few and evil. " You have become weaker 
in grace instead of growing in it, and the time which should 
have been redeemed is thrown away. 





WHAT WILL YE GIVE ME? 



HIS is the question which Judas 
Iscariot put to the high priests 
when he was about to prove 
himself the traitor that he was, 
and to give over into their 
power the Master whom he had 
pretended to serve. "What will 
ye give me and I will deliver 
him unto you ?" asking that 
a price might be put on the 
head of the Saviour and Re- 
deemer of mankind. Men natu- 
rally start back appalled at the enormity of the treachery 
involved in such an underhanded transaction. And the 
question has come down through all the ages, with its 
stigma of shame and infamy attached: "Who betrayed 
his Lord and Master?" It was so base, so paltry, a thing, 
actually trading away the precious life of Jesus for the mere 
pittance of a few pieces of silver. It is, however, one 
of the sad, deplorable phases of human nature, that what 
shocks and repels us in others is often repeated in our 
own lives and almost without our consciousness of the fact. 
W r eremany professors of religion told that they practically 
repeated the question put to the high priests in their own 
experience, the accusation would be met with scornful 
and indignant denial. And yet the query is doubtless 
repeated in various forms and with unsuspected frequency 
by professed followers of Jesus Christ and believers in 
the doctrines which he taught. It may be that for a cer- 
tain length of time and up to a certain point, a man will 
conscientiously serve the Master, then perhaps it is the 
pleasures of the world which come in and tempt him to try 
a little unlawful license, and mix more freely with those 

378 



WHAT WILL YE GIVE ME? 379 



who find delight and satisfaction in a gay and thoughtless 
life. And the man looks the tempter in the face and asks: 
"What will ye give me?" Then it may follow that hours 
bright with laughter and dissipation hold out inducements 
he does not care to withstand, and the old faith is sold 
out that he may enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 
Another is tempted by greed. Eager assurances that a life 
of prosperity and self-indulgence is the only one worth 
living, are sounded in his ears. So the whirlpool of 
speculation is faced with the desire for sudden riches, and 
the question leaps forth: "What will ye give me?" For 
others, ambition and worldly honors hold out a tempting 
bait for the soul, and of them it is asked, "What will ye 
give me and I will deliver him unto you?" Alas, the 
piteous weakness of it all ! Yielding up the Christ within 
'the heart for something quite as shallow and profitless as 
the betrayer's thirty pieces of silver. Wrecking all true 
happiness ; defrauding the life of all true gain and advance- 
ment, and surrendering the highest and most worthy honors 
while betraying the best of friends. As often as a profess- 
ing Christian dallies with temptation, or bargains with 
sin in any form, just so often he says to the tempter: 
"What will ye give me and I will deliver him unto you ?" 
There is no greater meanness in the eyes of a noble, chival- 
rous man, than the treachery which will admit of betraying 
a friend. Alas! that the language of the hymn we sing 
concerning Christ is so true: 

'' You treat no other friend so ill." 

The Bible teaches wisely and counsels with divine 
sagacity when it exhorts believers to watch and pray lest 
they enter into temptation. Watchfulness and prayer are 
the two unconquerable forces which will effectually prevent 
disloyalty to the Saviour, and render the Christian panoply 
of faith impervious to all the wiles and debasing sugges- 
tions of the archtraitor of the soul. 

" O Lord, the pilot's part perform 

And guard and guide me through the storm, 
Defend me from each threatening ill, 
Control the waves, say ' Peace, be still. ' 




THE WORLD. 



|HAT an almost inexhaust- 
ible subject is the world. 
To attempt a description 
of it at large would fill a 
sufficient number of 
books to form quite a 
library of itself. Yet it 
may briefly be described 
as the dwelling-place of 
mankind. As long as 
man lives he is in the 
world; when he dies, all 
that really constituted 
the life takes flight to another sphere. The Scriptures in 
one place warn man against loving the world or the 
things that are in the world, thereby indicating that it 
contains much to captivate and enchain the affections. 
Again, we read that Jesus Christ assures men that in the 
world they shall have tribulation, but goes on to add com- 
fort by saying he has overcome the world, showing that 
they, too, can be overcome by his strength. In another 
place men are exhorted to keep themselves unspotted from 
the world, and still again the Scriptures affirm that the 
world passeth away. Now here is a strange place! Plainly 
a place which is beautiful, attractive, doubtless full of 
joys and lively things to please the eye and gratify the 
senses. True enough, the world possesses beauty, is 
attractive and lovely. And yet, it contains also the oppo- 
site of all these charms, for tribulation is a long, hard 
word, very full of trouble, and the victorious assertion of 
the Saviour that he has overcome the world implies a need 
of strength, as there must be conflict, struggle, and en- 
durance brought to bear, in order to overcome so strong 
a force as the world. And the caution to keep unspotted 
from the world, must mean that there is much of taint and 

380 



THE WORLD. 381 



contagion to be dreaded and avoided in this seemingly 
fair world. And then " the world passeth away. " It must 
be a perishable place, destined at last to be destroyed, so 
nothing in it can be abiding. It is just as described: 
beautiful, alluring, full of tribulation, something to be 
overcome and to avoid pernicious contact with, and some- 
thing perishable itself at last. Yet there is need to exer- 
cise care that the teachings and injunctions of the Bible 
be not misunderstood. 

The command not to love the world nor the things that 
are in it by no means teaches that the beautiful works of 
God as seen in the world are to be despised or unappre- 
ciated. Who that looks abroad and sees the budding 
spring ripen into summer's bloom could help experiencing 
a happy glow, responsive to nature's renewing. And not 
only the beautiful world of nature, but all the wonderful 
achievements of art are things to admire and enjoy. One 
of our commentators says: "To love the world and the 
things that are in the world, is to make them our treasure, 
and put our trust in them, instead of in God." And in 
Matthew the counsel is given to lay up treasure in heaven 
because where the treasure is, there will the heart be also. 
Nor does the injunction not to love the world include 
advice to keep away from other men and make a recluse 
of one's self in hope to keep pure and unspotted. No or- 
dinarily intelligent person need fail to understand the 
plain, direct meaning of Scripture with reference to the 
love of the world and the things that are in it; the world 
is not our rest, and nothing in it will endure permanently. 
Not even the love of friends is strong enough to resist the 
inexorable law of the universe, which demands that every- 
thing earthly must be fleeting and transitory. 

It makes no difference how much wealth may have been 
amassed, how many friends there may be to love, once 
the fiat goes forth that man shall return to the dust as he 
was, and the spirit to God who gave it, everything must 
be left at the solemn bidding, and the soul, stripped of 
every earthly belonging, must go forth to meet its God. 
The love of men and women is very sweet, but all must 
pass away; and what will you do if you have no wealth 
but the wealth that fadeth, no love but the love which 
dies, when death shall come? What will you do, indeed! 



3 82 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



To such as have made no preparation for this inevitable 
"passing away" from time into eternity, how like a hope- 
less echo the query repeats itself, for if no love for God 
and the things of his kingdom dwell in the soul, how shorn 
and helpless must it stand before its Maker at last! But 
there is a wealth that never fades, and a love that never 
dies. Death admits the soul of the believer in Christ and 
his most precious promises, to a kingdom whose beauty 
and riches far transcend all the poor wealth of the world. 
The love of heaven never passes away, but endures forever 
and forever. What provident, worldly-wise man would 
build a house on a foundation so insecure, that he knows 
the first rough storm would overthrow the entire structure ? 
How far more foolish and short-sighted the man who 
loves the world better than he loves the things of the king- 
dom of God, whose love and whose hopes are centred only 
on things which are sure to pass away. 



si* 




BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM, 




HRIST'S directions to the 
apostles as to their work 
seemed at first like a com- 
mission so insuperably great 
that it could never be exe- 
cuted. He bade them " go 
into all the world and preach 
the Gospel to every creat- 
ure." The world was not 
as large then as it is now, as 
far as population and extent 
of inhabited country were 
concerned, but its conver- 
sion was a great undertaking for eleven men to set about. 
We have heard of people having so much to do that they 
hardly knew where to commence; no doubt most of us 
have often experienced the feeling ourselves, and so we 
can appreciate the value of method. If the apostles had 
received nothing more specific than this general direction, 
they would probably have given up in despair at the vast 
proportions of their task, and done nothing because they 
had so much to do. But they were not left in doubt as to 
their starting-point; they were to begin at Jerusalem, and 
make that a radiating centre of usefulness. 

There were two great facts concerning Jerusalem, its 
ancient sacredness and its later sinfulness, either of which 
would have been sufficient reason for the Saviour's com- 
mand to begin evangelization there. But there was a 
deeper, wider reason than either of these for beginning at 
Jerusalem; perhaps some of these fishermen among the 
apostles understood. Perhaps Peter, for instance, at some 
time when he lay becalmed on the motionless bosom of 
the Lake of Galilee, had, in the hour of idleness, tossed 
a pebble or a float on the still waters, and watched the 
wavelets start and move in ever-increasing circles from 
the centre until lost to sight. He may then have thought, 
when Christ bade them begin at Jerusalem, that that city 
was the centre where they were to drop the Gospel, and 

383 



384 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 



the waves of influence should spread around and widen and 
extend farther than they could see. That would have 
been a very perfect illustration of Christ's design. It 
was not for Jerusalem's sake alone, that they were to 
begin preaching there ; but that was the centre of influence, 
a national centre around which the events of Christ's life 
clustered, where the crucifixion and resurrection, which 
were to be the great themes of their preaching, took 
place; and from that centre in every direction were to 
ripple out the waves of life. 

They commenced, therefore, at Jerusalem ; there they 
prayed, there they labored, and there they preached. 
There they formed the nucleus of the Christian Church, 
and thus the radiating centre of influence was formed. 
The streams that should go forth from this centre were 
providentially right there — men who had come up to wor- 
ship at the feast, or to buy and sell in the prosecution of 
their business. All were alike attracted by the great 
miracle of Pentecost. There were Parthians, Medes, 
Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and Cappa- 
docia, in Pontus and Asia, in Egypt and parts of Africa, 
and strangers from Rome. 

These were converted, and by-and-by they went home — 
not leaving the Gospel behind them, but carrying it 
with them. They departed by every gate of the city ; 
they went north and south, east and west; their roads 
diverged, and as they left Jerusalem further behind, their 
distance from each other increased. Thus the Gospel 
was spread abroad, and these converts were the waves 
which extended from the central Jerusalem and bore on 
their crest the knowledge of salvation. 

But the apostles had only half learned the lesson of the 
pebble thrown upon the lake, and only half understood the 
command to begin at Jerusalem. That was to be nothing 
but a beginning; the Master never said that they must 
stay there. Yet the apostles acted as if they had thus 
understood the message. They showed no disposition to 
leave the city, and, having sent out their waves of influ- 
ence, they ceased to watch them and follow them up. 
Like the ripples in the lake, those travellers would lose 
their power in proportion as they separated more and 
more, and met with increased opposition, until, when 




Si! ---It 

25 



3%6 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

they reached their destination, their distant homes, they 
had not the power to make themselves felt. What was 
needed was, that each point where a convert had carried 
the Gospel should itself be made a new centre of influ- 
ence to send reflex waves back to Jerusalem and onward 
to the regions beyond. 

This the apostles failed to see, and they had to be taught 
by a sharp lesson. Since they would not willingly leave 
Jerusalem, they were made to leave it. Persecution came 
three times, and they were all scattered abroad — forced 
by providence into the world for the spread of the Gospel. 

The divine method for the accomplishment of this pur- 
pose was the gradual establishment of radiating centres, 
or sources of influence, at important points, beginning at 
Jerusalem and ending at Rome. Those radiating centres 
were the secret of the vast progress in apostolic times, 
and it is the divine method for all success and progress. 

We are to begin at Jerusalem, which means at home; 
there are plenty of heathen here. Let us look after them ! 
Assuredly, we should by all means begin in our own fam- 
ily, our own community; but we must also remember the 
early church was persecuted because it stayed at Jerusa- 
lem, which is only one centre, the first of many. Train- 
ing for missions begins in the family, but it does not stop 
there. We should establish centres of power in our 
churches; there are families and individuals who, some 
in one way and some in another, can exert great power 
for good; make them radiating centres. 

Above all, let us see to it that our own lives shall send 
out ever-w T idening circles of influence. Old Augustine 
lives to-day in the rich discourses inspired by his teach- 
ings; Calvin sleeps at Geneva, and no man knows his 
sepulchre, but his vindication of God's sovereignty will 
live forever; Bunyan lies in Bunhill Fields, but his bright 
spirit walks the earth in "Pilgrim's Progress." Isaac 
Watts is dead, but, in the chariot of his hymns, thousands 
of spirits ascend to-day in devotion. For a hundred 
years, Robert Raikes has gathered his Sunday schools all 
over Christendom. So we all live in the lives of others, 
perhaps even more than we do in our own; and we may 
set in motion waves that will widen until they reach the 
shores of eternity, 




^kTCff 



AND 



If Axi\ A • 



ST MAT! 26.41 



PRAYERS SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN 

ONE. (CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.) 

NOW I lay me down to sleep, 
I pray the Lord my soul to keep; 
If I should die before I wake, 
I pray the Lord my soul to take. 



TWO. (CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.) 

JESUS, tender Shepherd, hear me, 
Bless thy little lamb to-night; 
Through the darkness be thou near me, 
Keep me safe till morning light. 

All this day thy hand has led me, 
And I thank thee for thy care; 

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me, 
Listen to my evening prayer.' 

Let my sins be all forgiven, 

Bless the Triends I love so well; 

Take me, when I die, to heaven, 
Happy there with thee to dwell. 



THREE. (CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, help me to thank thee for all the love thou hast 
this day shown me. Thou hast kept me from harm, 
and hast given me all that I have. Make me to love 
thee more and more, and to serve thee with all my heart. 
Forgive my sins. Watch over me and all whom I love 
this night, and keep us in safety till a new day, for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 



FOUR. (CHILD'S MORNING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, I thank thee that thou dost let a little child 
like me kneel at thy throne. Look on me in Christ, 
and for his sake love me and forgive all my sins. I 
thank thee for the rest of the past night, that I have seen 
the light of this day. Lord, keep me all through this 
day. May thine arm lead me, and guard me from all 
harm. May I walk and act as a child of Christ; may I 
loye all that is good, and live according to thy word. 
Let my friends be thy friends, and may we be thine in 
this world, and thine in the world to come, for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

388 



PRAYERS FOR FAMILY DEVOTION. 



ONE. — (EVENING PRAYER). 

The following prayer was found in manuscript (German script) on a 
half-sheet of very old paper, in a German Bible, Luther's version, 
printed in 1545. The Bible has been in private or public libraries for 
probably between two and three hundred years, and the manuscript 
is presumably two centuries old, at least, if not older, though there is 
no way of determining the date exactly. The translation was made by 
the late Rev. Thomas J. Conant, D.D., the well-known Biblical 
scholar, and now appears for the first time in book form. 

EVENING PRAYER TO OUR FATHER THROUGH JESUS 
CHRIST. 

AH, my dear Father, I thank thee that thou so graciously 
hast guarded me this day. Ah, my Father, I beseech 
thee that thou wouldst forgive me all my sins which I have 
to-day committed against thee. Ah, dearest Father, I 
beseech thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Redeemer 
and Saviour, hear my prayer! I am a poor sinner; but 
Christ has paid for me the penalty of my sins, out of his 
great love to me. Christ I set before thee as the surety 
for my sins. I beseech thee that thou wouldst guard me 
this night also, from the workings of the Devil and his 
train, so that they may not harm me. Let thy holy angels 
pitch their camp around me. Be thou my strong defence, 
O Lord ; for evening is coming on, and the day has declined. 
Guard all my -dear ones and friends; also my enemies. 
Ah, Lord, forgive my enemies, for they know not what 
they do. And should this night be the last of my life, ah, 
then I beseech thee that thou wouldst be gracious to me 
in my last dying hour. Ah, grant me a calm, blissful 
end, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



Our Father, etc. 



389 



TWO.— (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

HEAVENLY FATHER, we thy children come to offer 
up our prayer and praise to thee. May they be offer- 
ings well pleasing. Thy mercies are new every morning 
and fresh every evening. Great is thy faithfulness. 

For health and strength we thank thee, for the light of 
this day, for all its blessings; but above all for the gift 
of thy dear Son, to redeem us from sin and to open unto 
us the gates of everlasting life. For his present grace, 
his interceding love and his Spirit's power, we give thee 
thanks. For thy Church, its ministry and sacraments, 
thy holy Word, and for the examples of those who have 
departed in the true faith of thy holy Name, for the hope 
of a life to come, and the promise of thy coming again, 
we gratefully adore. 

Make us ever mindful of thy love. May we never fall 
from thee, nor be led by sorrow or adversity to either 
question thy wisdom or deny thy goodness. May we be 
willing to receive at the Lord's hands evil as well as good. 
Pity our weakness and give us strength against the hour 
of trial sure to come. While on the' earth, may we be 
trained for Heaven, and come off conquerors and more 
than conquerors; through him who hath loved us, thy Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

O merciful God, who hast written thy holy Word for 
our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of 
thy holy Scriptures, might have hope; give us a right 
understanding of ourselves, and of thy threats and promises ; 
that we may neither cast away our confidence in thee, nor 
place it anywhere but in thee. Break not the bruised 
reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Shut not up thy ten- 
der mercies in displeasure; but make us to hear of joy 
and gladness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

39° 



THREE. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

WE desire this morning, O our God, to approach thee 
through the only way whereby sinners may come 
to thee, thine own dearly-beloved and only-begotten Son. 
Thou hast given us quiet rest, and when we awoke thy 
hand sustained us. At the beginning of another day we 
seek together, as a family, thy blessing and grace. Keep 
us, O our Father, through this day, from all evil, and, 
above all, from the contamination of sin. As the children 
of a holy God, and the sincere disciples of the holy Jesus, 
may we spend this day in accordance with our solemn 
profession. If thou art pleased this day to give us the 
exercise of authority, enable us to act with tenderness and 
Christian discretion. If we are subject to reproach or 
oppression, give us, O Lord, the spirit of meekness and 
submission, that we may thus adorn the doctrine of our 
Lord. Enable us to rejoice in our neighbor's prosperity, 
instead of envying him, as we will do if left to our own 
natural tendencies. Make us not slothful in business, 
but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Preserve us from 
making the world our god. Let us not trust in uncertain 
riches, but in the living God, who is the soul's only sure, 
and abiding, and everlasting portion. 

Accept of our united thanks in that thou has set us 
together as a family, making us, in this manner, mutual 
helps, and comforts, and defences to each other. May 
each of us discharge the duty which is assigned us by 
thee, as in thy sight. May we exercise a spirit of con- 
tentment and submission to thee, in respect to the station 
thou hast assigned us in life. May the Spirit himself 
dwell in us, and keep us from evil. And unto thee, the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be praise everlast- 
ing. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

391 



FOUR.— (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

OLORD, we desire to draw near into thy holy presence, 
in the name of him whom thou hearest always, thy 
blessed Son. We have sinned against light, and privilege, 
and warning, and mercy. We mourn our deep-rooted de- 
pravity, our constant proneness to alienation and departure 
from thee; the feebleness of our faith, the fitfulness of 
our love and the imperfection of our best services, the 
mingled motives in our holiest duties. We come anew, 
casting ourselves on the infinite fulness of our Saviour. 
Give us out of his inexhaustible treasury, even grace for 
grace. Let us walk as thy children, advancing in con- 
formity to thy blessed mind and will. May we earnestly 
strive after greater spiritual attainments — laying aside 
every weight, and running with patience the race that is 
set before us. 

Give us grace to bear about with us, in our daily 
duties and engagements, the solemn thought — we are 
soon to be with God. Let us not postpone the all-momen- 
tous question of our salvation. May we feel that now is 
the accepted time, and that it may be the only time! 
Let it be our constant aim and endeavor to know what 
the will of the Lord is; and knowing that will, may we 
have strength given us to obey it. May we murmur at 
nothing that brings us nearer thee. 

O God, our Saviour, dwell in this household, make 
every member of it thine. May those who are absent feel 
that thou art near them. May those that are in distress 
be comforted by thee. Do thou increase the devotedness 
of thy children; give them more of the character of 
Christ and prepare them for the Christian's rest. 

Prosper thy cause and kingdom everywhere. Let 
Satan's kingdom be destroyed — the kingdom of grace 
advanced — the kingdom of glory hastened. Save thy peo- 
ple — bless thine inheritance; feed them also, and lift them 
up forever ! Give to each of us this day thy gracious bene- 
diction; and when the days of earth shall merge into the 
ages of eternity, may it be ours to spend them in the full 
fruition of thee, our God, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

392 



FIVE. — (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

MOST holy and blessed God, before whom the angels 
veil their faces, fill us with awe and reverence as we 
draw nigh to thee. As unworthy as we are, thou hast 
invited us to come. In thy dear Son's name, and not for 
anything that we are, or for anything that we have done, 
do we make now our petitions unto thee. Give to each 
of us, dear Lord, a clear knowledge of our duties and 
responsibilities, and besides this, wisdom and strength, 
that these may be discharged by us with diligence and 
fidelity. 

Whatsoever good thing our hand may find to do in this 
life, may we do it with our might, remembering that the 
night of death cometh when no man can work, and that 
after death there is the judgment. May no evil thoughts 
or angry tempers, may no doubts or fears disturb us, but 
may we ever put our crust in thee and find guidance, hope 
and consolation in the blessed gospel of thy Son. 

May our hearts be so rooted and grounded in love for 
thee that no difficulties, however great they may be, may 
discourage us in the way of well-doing. Increase in us 
that which is lacking; raise up that which is *fallen; re- 
store to us that which has been lost; quicken within us 
that which may be ready to die; so that we may serve and 
obey thee in all things, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We pray as well for thy blessing for all those who are 
dear to us, wherever they are, that they may be filled with 
the knowledge of thy will in wisdom and understanding, 
and in one heart and mind may ever seek thy glory and 
the salvation of souls; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

O Lord, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, 
and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee; that 
they, whose consciences by sin are accused, by thy merci- 
ful pardon may be absolved ; through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

393 



SIX. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, we thank thee for the tender care with which 
thou hast watched over us during the hours of sleep, 
and for the comfort and health in which we arise this 
morning. Help us to carry into the busy hours of the 
day all the holy impressions and resolutions of thy day. 
Grant us grace to pursue our secular calling in a Christian 
spirit. May our most trivial occupations be ennobled 
by the principles of the gospel of Christ; may all our 
work be sanctified by the .Word of God and prayer. 

May we honor thee by the uprightness and integrity of 
our conduct, by the unselfishness and generosity of our 
spirit, and by our endeavor in all things to obey the law 
of Christ. Whilst not slothful in business, may we be 
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. And Father, we pray 
that in our home life we may act worthily of thee. May 
we be ever conscious of the presence of our Lord, and seek 
to manifest his spirit. May we be gentle and forbearing 
toward each other, and faithful in rendering to all in the 
household their respective dues. May we minister to one 
another's welfare, and guard against selfishness in thought 
and word and deed. 

Save us from the snares of ambition and the desire of 
human applause, and help us to walk humbly with our God. 
May those who are young, especially, learn to value 
everything according to its tendency to make them just 
and pure and good. May they become truly wise through 
the teaching of thine Holy Spirit. 

Let us not be off our guard this day. Suffer us to run 
into no sin, but keep us in all our ways. May we be in 
the fear of the Lord all the day long, and may the remem- 
brance of thy presence be our strength. Graciously for- 
give all our sins, and preserve us by thy mighty power 
through faith unto salvation, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

394 



SEVEN. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OLORD our God, we desire, on this morning of a new 
day, to present ourselves before thee, and to bless thee 
for thy continued goodness. We are again reminded of 
our manifold obligations unto thee, and of the strong 
claims which thou hast upon our gratitude, our love and 
our obedience. We adore thee as the maker of all things, 
as the righteous governor of the universe, as the God of 
grace and of salvation. And we pray that we may each of 
us have a personal interest in the blessings of this salva- 
tion, and find it to be light and life to our souls. May 
each of us be enabled this day, and through the whole 
world of our life, to live as it becomes those whom God 
hath delivered from the power of darkness, and hath trans- 
lated into the kingdom of his dear Son. 

O Lord, let thy kingdom come, and let thy will be 
done in earth as it is in heaven. Hasten the glory of the 
latter day, even the day when the earth shall be full of 
the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 
And as thou hast promised that Christ shall have the 
heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of 
the earth for his possessions, O let this promise be speedily 
accomplished, and let Christ be acknowledged in all lands, 
when all nations, drawing water with joy out of the wells 
of salvation, shall say, " Praise the Lord, call upon his 
name, declare his doings among the people." We ask all 
in the name and for the sake of Christ. And unto the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God, we as- 
cribe all praise and glory. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

395 



EIGHT.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, our heavenly Father, accept our morning sacri- 
fice of praise and thanksgiving for the protection of 
the night, and for the early blessings of this day. To 
thee we owe all that we have and are. May the apprecia- 
tion of thy goodness so grow upon us that we may love 
thee more and serve thee better. 

As day shall be added to day, may we become more 
obedient to thy will and more earnest and self-forgetful 
in thy work. Let nothing separate us from the love of 
God that is in Christ Jesus, and finding our happiness in 
doing his will, may we secure his favor. May we lay 
aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset, 
to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking 
unto Jesus, the author ancTfinisher of our faith, who for the 
joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising 
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne 
of God. 

And as thou hast promised to give the Holy Spirit to 
them that ask, we humbly pray for this gift, that we may 
be kept from carelessness and hardness of heart, from 
fretfulness and impatience, from vanity and pride, from 
self-seeking and covetousness, from the unhappy desire of 
becoming great, from repining at thy dispensation, and 
from neglecting thy warning. 

And as thou dost take from us these, will thou grant 
unto us such love and joy, and peace and long-suffering, 
such gentleness and goodness, faith, meekness and tem- 
perance, that we may daily crucify the flesh with its affec- 
tions and lusts. And this we ask not for our own merits, 
but for the sake of him who hath loved us and died for 
us, thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Be thou, O God, our protection, and watch over our 
paths with guiding love, that among the snares which lie 
hidden in our paths, we may so pass onward with hearts 
fixed on thee, that we may come to thee and be forever 
with thee. We ask it for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

396 



NINE. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

ALMIGHTY GOD, the Creator and Preserver of man- 
kind, unto whom we come as our Father in Jesus Christ 
our Lord, we do most humbly and heartily thank thee for 
the mercies of the night, and for the blessing of this morn- 
ing. We bless thee for the sleep which has refreshed us, 
and for the bread which thou hast given us. As thou 
didst watch over us in the darkness, watch over us through 
the day. Teach us by thy good word, and by thy Holy Spir- 
it. Keep our feet in the way of salvation. Protect us from 
temptation, and strengthen us by thy grace. Take away 
from us all bitterness of temper, and preserve us from sin. 

Grant each of us courage, faith, patience in trial, and 
loving submission to thy most holy will. Help us to 
be faithful in all our work, and to look to thee for our 
reward. Abide with us in joy and in sorrow, in prosper- 
ity and in adversity. Grant us quiet hearts amid the uncer- 
tainties of the day, and breathe upon us thy peace. Abide 
in our home, and make us all the children of thy house- 
hold. The sick we commend unto thee, praying for their 
recovery, if it please thee; and beseeching thee that thou 
wilt give unto them and unto us all, the good and glad 
hope of everlasting life through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hear thou, O God, the cry of the poor and the needy, 
and suffer us not to harden our hearts against them. 
Come near to all whose hearts are heavy and sore, and 
give them thy help in all their trials. Reveal thyself to 
all men, and hasten the days of universal righteousness 
and peace. Grant us thy forgiveness, for our sins are 
many ; grant us thy strength, for we are very weak ; increase 
our faith in thee, for our fears oppress us; and fill us with 
the joy of thy salvation; all of which we humbly ask in 
the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord, 
who hath taught us to pray, saying: 

Our Father, etc. 

397 



TEN.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, our heavenly Father, we thank thee for the 
light of another morning. This day thou hast spared 
us, and we would give this day to thee. In all our em- 
ployments may we seek thy favor. May we be watchful 
for opportunities to serve thee, especially in those things 
which belong to thy kingdom and the salvation of souls. 
May we be true laborers in thy harvest, and each in his 
place make full proof of our ministry and the power of 
grace in our own souls. 

Make us ever truly humble before thee. May we never 
be high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in thee 
the living God, who givest us richly all things to enjoy. 
May we remember that thou, the Father of mercies, art 
the sole author of all our privileges and blessings, and that 
to thee we must render a strict account of the use we 
make of them. 

And to thy hands do we now commit ourselves, and all 
of our affairs, beseeching thee so to bless, direct and guide 
us, that we may pass this and each succeeding day of our 
lives, confident of thine approval and of thy acceptance 
at the last day; through the merits and mediation of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting and power 
infinite, have mercy upon this whole land ; and so rule 
the hearts of thy servants, the President of the United 
States, the Governor of this State, and all others in au- 
thority, that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may 
above all things seek thine honor and glory; and that we 
and all the people, duly considering whose authority they 
bear, may faithfully and obediently honor them: in thee, 
and for thee, according to thy blessed Word and ordinance; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the 
Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world 
without end. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

393 



ELEVEN. — (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

LORD, teach us to pray. We know not how to pray as 
we ought; but it is written, " The Spirit helpeth our 
infirmities." O send forth thy light and thy truth; let 
them lead and guide us. Lord, we confess our sinfulness, 
that our hearts are depraved, and our lives unholy ; and 
especially do we humble ourselves for the sins of thy peo- 
ple. O may the record of their history, mercifully pre- 
served in the Scriptures, be profitable to us. Help us to 
discover the beginnings of sin in them, and to avoid the 
same. May we be alarmed by the awful consequences to 
which their sins exposed themselves and others, and not 
therein follow their example. 

While we behold thy readiness to forgive, may we be 
induced to come to thee with our confessions and prayers. 
While we see that thy good Spirit was not withheld, not- 
withstanding their rebellions, may we be encouraged to 
seek this precious gift. And O suffer us not to rest short 
of the sure and certain consciousness that he abideth in us. 
May we not grieve him by our sins, nor quench him by 
our neglect. May we enjoy the communion of the Spirit. 
May our souls be filled with his light, quickened by his 
power, and comforted by his grace. By his agency may 
we be qualified for our duty, and made faithful and success- 
ful in it. 

Do thou control every thought, and direct every action. 
In the family, may we cultivate the graces that adorn it 
in all kindness, and condescension, and love. And in 
our intercourse with the world, forbid, Lord, that we should 
ever give occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 
May the fruit of the Spirit abound in us and others, even 
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, 
faith, meekness, temperance. We are thine, O Lord. 
We acknowledge thy claim upon us. In Jesus we devote 
ourselves to thee. And do thou accent of us for the Re- 
deemer's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

399 



TWELVE. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

FATHER in heaven, hear us through Jesus Christ, thy 
well-beloved Son, our Lord; and accept our thanks for 
thy protection of us during the night and for thy favor 
this morning. We thank thee for refreshing sleep; for 
the new day; for the comforts of our home; for food and 
raiment; for all our kindred whom we love; for the help 
and sympathy of our friends; and for all which thou dost 
make us able to do in aiding the needy. 

We pray thee to fit us to use our time, our possessions 
and all our powers and opportunities for the good of others, 
and for our own improvement, that we may serve thee well 
in our several places and employments. Guard us from 
danger. Make us prosperous and fruitful in the work of 
our hands and the care of our hearts. 

We have hitherto experienced thy divine goodness; may 
it continue to bless us. Thy forbearance with us has been 
wonderful ; oh, may it never fail us. Let thy loving kind- 
ness crown our days. For the sake of our Redeemer, 
forgive our sins, which we confess before thee; and may 
his blood cleanse us from all sin. May the Holy Spirit so 
renew and sanctify us that we may walk in the way of thy 
commandments with joy. Let the words of Christ dwell 
in us richly, and the perfection of his life and character 
become more and more our own through the supply of his 
grace. Oh that obedience, prayerfulness, compassion and 
kindness like his may ever appear in our spirit and con- 
duct. 

Show thy mercy, O God, to all penitent souls. Make 
transgressors obedient to thy law. Bless our rulers. 
Relieve all who are in distress; heal the sick; comfort 
the sorrowful; cheer the faint; save the lost. Give light 
and life to thy church. Spread the gospel far and wide. 
Hasten the coming of that kingdom which is righteousness 
and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And thine be the 
glory for ever. A??ien. 

Our Father, etc. 

400 



THIRTEEN.— (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, we render thee 
most hearty thanks for the spiritual and heavenly 
nourishment of thy blessed word, wherewith our souls are 
constantly refreshed, our faith strengthened, our love 
kindled, our hope renewed. We humbly beseech thee to 
give us grace, not only to be hearers of thy word, but 
doers of the same; not only to love, but also to live thy 
gospel; not only to favor, but also to follow thy godly 
doctrine; not only to profess, but also to practise thy 
blessed commandments; that whatever of thy truth we 
outwardly hear and inwardly believe, we may show 
forth the same in our conversation and living, unto the 
honor of thy holy name, the comfort and help of our 
Christian brethren, the health and welfare of our souls. 
We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
Our Father, etc. 



FOURTEEN. — (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

ALMIGHTY GOD, who art the fountain of holiness 
and felicity, who by thy word and Spirit dost conduct 
thy servants in the ways of sanctity and of peace, instruct- 
ing them by thy truth, inviting them by promises, and 
winning them by love, grant unto us so truly to repent 
of our sins, so carefully to avoid our errors, so diligently 
to watch over all our own actions, so industriously to do 
our duty, that we may never willingly transgress thy laws; 
but that it may be the work of our life to obey thee, the 
joy of our souls to please thee, the satisfaction of all our 
hopes, and the perfection of our desires, to live with thee 
in the holiness of thy kingdom of grace and glory ; through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 
Our Father, etc. 

26 401 



FIFTEEN. — (MORNING OR EVENING.) 

MOST merciful God, who art of purer eyes than to 
behold iniquity, and hast promised forgiveness to all 
those who confess and forsake their sins; we come before 
thee in an humble sense of our own unworthiness, ac- 
knowledging our manifold transgressions of thy righteous 
laws. O gracious Father, who desirest not the death of 
a sinner, look upon us, we beseech thee, in mercy, and 
forgive us all our transgressions. Make us deeply sensi- 
ble of the great evil of them ; and work in us a hearty con- 
trition; that we may obtain forgiveness at thy hands, who 
art ever ready to receive humble and penitent sinners; for 
the sake of thy Son our Saviour. 

And lest, through our own frailty, or the temptations 
which encompass us, we be drawn again into sin, vouch- 
safe us, we beseech thee, the direction and assistance of 
thy Holy Spirit. Reform whatever is amiss in the temper 
and disposition of our souls; that no unclean thoughts, 
unlawful designs, or inordinate desires may rest there. 
May we seek those things which are above, where Christ 
sitteth on the right hand of God. And may our life be 
so hid with Christ in God now, that when he, who is our 
life, shall appear, we may also appear with him in glory. 
, Extend, we beseech thee, the arms of thy compassion 
beyond the bounds of our own habitations. Send down thy 
blessings, temporal and spiritual, upon our relations, 
friends, and neighbors. Reward all who have done us 
good, and pardon all those who have done or wish us evil, 
and give them repentance and better minds. Be merciful 
to all who are in any trouble; and do thou, the God of 
pity, administer to them according to their several necessi- 
ties; for his sake who went about doing good, thy Son our 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 

O most loving Jesus, pattern of charity, grant that the 
grace of charity and brotherly love may dwell in us, and 
that all envy, harshness, and ill-will may die in us; fill 
our hearts with such kindness that by constantly rejoicing 
in the happiness and good success of others, and by putting 
away all envious thoughts we may follow thee, who art 
thyself the true and perfect Love. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

402 



SIXTEEN. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

MOST blessed heavenly Father, we thy dependent creat- 
ures desire this morning to draw near the footstool of 
thy throne. Vouchsafe us, we entreat thee, thy presence. 
We would enter on all our duties supplicating thy favor, 
feeling that all the happiness the world can give cannot 
compensate for the want of thy blessing. 

We would look away from ourselves unto him who is 
our only Redeemer. We cast ourselves at his feet, feeling 
that if we are saved it must be by him alone. O may we 
feel it our greatest honor to live for Jesus. Let us seek, 
as thy stewards, to fill our place, whatever it may be; to 
" adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour" just in the sta- 
tion in which his providence has placed us — feeling the 
happiness of an active and devoted obedience. Take away 
from us whatever is unholy. Let us walk as the expec- 
tants of a glorious immortality. May we feel that we 
are pilgrims, soon to be done with the world, and at home 
with God. O be thou our constant guide in all our jour- 
neyings. Let us never hesitate when and where thou 
callest us. Make us to feel that all the circumstances of 
life — its joys and its sorrows — its comforts and crosses — 
are arranged by thee and ordained for us in adorable 
mercy and ineffable wisdom. Bless all near and dear to 
us. Defend our friends by thy mighty power. Surround 
them with thy favor and bring them at last to the enjoy- 
ment of thyself. Bless especially those now before thee. 
We commend each and all of us this day to thy keeping. 
Let us enter upon its duties with our souls stayed on thee, 
and seek to show the world that we have been with thee, and 
that thou art a present help in every time of need. We ask 
these blessings in the name and for the sake of the Lord 
Jesus. Amen. 

Our Father, *etc. 

403 



SEVENTEEN.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OUR FATHER who art in heaven, for thy mercy in 
guarding us during the past night, and in granting us 
the light of a new day we thank thee. Thou didst not 
allow fire to consume our dwelling, nor disease to attack 
suddenly any of its inmates, nor death to snatch us un- 
prepared from time to eternity. And now, thou art con- 
tinuing to us not only life, and health, but those reasoning 
and moral faculties by which we may apprehend thee as 
the Creator of our souls and the providential ruler over 
all the events of our earthly existence. Help us by the 
instruction of thy word and Spirit thus to recognize thee 
more and more as the source of all our daily joys as well 
as the fountain of unceasing and everlasting spiritual 
blessings. We are unworthy of all these high favors. 

Grant us grace, we do beseech t.hee, in the name of thine 
only begotten and well-beloved Son, for whose sake thou 
art always willing to hear our prayers, .to realize more 
deeply our unworthiness in contrast with thine own loving 
kindness and tender compassion ; and therefore to approach 
thee with an ever increasing sense of gratitude and love. 

Unto whom can we come, O Lord, for guidance as 
well as thanksgiving, save unto thee who hast been our 
shield against the dangers, and our strength against the 
temptations of the past ? May we accept the benefits of 
the past as pledges of what thou art willing to do for us 
to-day and in the future. 

For Jesus' sake inspire us with a child-like trust. 
Teach us by thy gracious spirit to be docile, humble, con- 
tented, confident in thy truth and unfalteringly restful in 
thy promises. 

Forgive us our sins; implant within our souls such right 
principles and pure motives that we shall be led to-refrain 
day by day from trnasgression and it-s consequent miseries. 

Prepare us to discharge the duties and to enjoy the 
privileges of this day. Direct us to find our highest hap- 
piness in thoughts of thee, and of what thou hast done for 
us by sending Christ as a prophet to instruct us in our 
ignorance, as a priest to atone on the cross for us in our 
sinfulness and as a king to reign over us, defending us 

404 



MORNING PRAYER. 4°5 



from evil impulses that rjse within, and from the assaults 
and deceitful solicitations that spring from Satan without. 

Let our hopes and our yearnings reach out toward Christ 
as our ever perfect and ever blessed model. May the 
same mind that was in Jesus be in us. Let Christ be 
formed within us, the hope of glory. Remind us often, 
O Lord, of the words uttered by Jesus, and of the graces 
exemplified in his conduct and character. Help us to 
imitate him and to grow ever more like him in all heavenly 
qualities. Thus shall we be fitted to bear all afflictions, 
and to resist all temptations. And thine, O God, shall be 
all the glory through Jesus thy Son, our elder Brother 
and Redeemer. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 



EIGHTEEN. — (MORNING PRAYER.) 

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, in thine infinite goodness 
we are permitted to come to thee again this morning. 

We give thee hearty thanks for the mercies of the past 
night. Thine angels have camped about our dwelling, 
though we have not seen them. We have dwelt in safety, . 
because thou, Lord, hast kept us. Receive our thanks- 
giving for thy providence that has watched while we have 
slept. And now, let thy loving kindness be our portion 
this day. We come to thee that we may be fitted for our 
duties. We have no wisdom or strength of our own. We 
easily go astray. Do thou graciously shepherd us this 
day. Open for us the green pastures of thy grace. If any 
perils await us grant us thy deliverance. Shield us from 
sin. Give us victory over temptation. Make us faithful 
in our work. May we serve and endure as seeing him who 
is invisible. 

Bless every member of this family. Bind us close in 
thy love. Make us helpful to one another and to all who 
are around us. In thy mercy remember all who may need 
thy special grace this clay. Comfort the afflicted and sus- 
tain the burdened and rescue the fallen. May thy king- 
dom come and thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven; 
and thine shall be the praise through Jesus Christ, our 
Redeemer. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 



NINETEEN.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

WE thank thee, our Father in heaven, for the light of 
this new day. The night is thy gift, and so is 
the day. We have had rest and food for our bodies, and 
now we humbly pray for spiritual renewal and strength. 
O how rich is the privilege of meeting thee at the 
family altar! Here give us, we beseech thee, O Lord, 
the kindling fire which comes from on high, so that when 
we enter into the employments of the day, we may be 
conscious that the Holy Spirit is with us and that he is 
able and willing to help us. Give us courage and wisdom 
to honor thee in all things, so that " whether we eat or 
drink, or whatsoever we do, we may do all to the glory 
of God." 

Bestow upon us, we pray, an increasing sense of our 
need of thee and an increasing sense of our ability, 
if we have thy grace, to reveal thy spirit and honor 
thee in all the duties to which thou dost call us. We 
render thee thanks for all thy temporal gifts. So many 
are the mercy drops, that, blended together, we are carried 
forward on their strong current. May we not simply 
rejoice and be glad for them, but may we be thankful in 
heart and have grace to live our thankfulness day by day! 

Above all, we thank thee for Jesus Christ our Saviour. 
Help us to trust in him. May we open the door that he 
may come in and abide with us! . . . . Help us, O 
Lord, our Redeemer, to meet the temptations and trials 
and sorrows of this day and of every day with calm and 
cheerful fortitude, and may we always "endure as seeing 
him who is invisible!" Send forth thy light, Sun of 
Righteousness, into all the earth! May the day soon 
dawn when the whole earth shall re*joice in thy salvation! 
Forgive our sins; bless our loved ones; renew thy Church, 
and bestow upon thy chosen a precious baptism of the 
Holy Spirit. We ask in Christ's name and for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

406 



TWENTY.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

MOST gracious Lord and Father, we come before thee 
this morning to thank thee for thy tender care 
throughout the night. Thou hast given us quiet sleep 
and refreshing slumber. Thou hast let no danger come 
nigh us, and hast brought us, with renewed strength and 
vigor, to see the light of another morning. We ask thy 
guidance for this day; keep our steps from stumbling and 
our feet from falling. Go with us to our business, and 
let thy presence abide with us and thy wisdom guide us 
in all our transactions. 

Stay in our home, and let thy loving kindness be round 
about us, helping us perform our duties faithfully. Keep 
our thoughts pure, our tempers serene, our hearts holy. 
Keep us from disaster, and at last bring us, an undivided 
family, to our eternal and heavenly home, where we may 
worship and glorify thee forever. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 



TWENTY-ONE. — (EVENING PRAYER.) 

OLORD, our heavenly Father, look down in mercy upon 
this family, and bless us and keep us from harm. 
May we remember thee as we lay ourselves down to sleep, 
and think of thee in the night watches. When it is dark 
about us, thine eye seest us, for the light and the darkness 
are both alike to thee, and there is nothing hid from thy 
all-searching eyes. May we remember this, O Lord, and 
thus be prevented from sin. 

And when the night of death has come, and our eyes 
closed forever to the light of the sun, may we be gathered 
to the rest and the rewards of the many mansions in the 
skies, and worship thee in the temple where there is no 
need of the light of the sun, and where our Lord and 
Saviour is the light thereof; for his Name's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

407 



TWENTY-TWO.— (MORNING PRAYER.) 

ALMIGHTY GOD, we enter on the duties of this day 
imploring thy favor and blessing. We leave all our 
affairs in thy fatherly hand. Thou sendest both prosperity 
and adversity; thou makest poor and makest rich. Let 
thy will rule all things for us, and give us what thou seest 
best for our welfare. We seek not great things for our- 
selves in this world, but rather choose that good part which 
shall never be taken from us. 

Give us, O Lord, this day not to please ourselves, but 
thee, the living God, who givest us richly all things to 
enjoy. May no discontent or pride or envy lurk in our 
hearts. May no disparagement or ill-w T ill pass our lips. 
May no unseemly lightness, fear or idleness mark our con- 
duct. But in all things may we live as becomes our pro- 
fession, and as those purchased by the precious blood of 
Jesus Christ. 

May it please thee to give us the constant assistance of 
thy Holy Spirit to guide us in our ways; and by his blessed 
influence may we be enabled to love thee above all things, 
and to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Finally, grant to every member of this family, and to 
all our friends wherever they may be, thy peace and 
heavenly consolations. Make us to be of one heart and 
mind, loving and serving thee on earth, and becoming day 
by day better prepared for that eternal kingdom which 
thou hast promised to thy faithful servants by and through 
thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love 
towards mankind, hast sent thy Son, our Saviour Jesus 
Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death 
upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the exam- 
ple of his great humility; mercifully grant that we may 
both follow the example of his patience, and also be made 
partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

408 



TWENTY-THREE.— (SUNDAY MORNING.) 

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, this is the day which thou 
hast made holy; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 
Draw thou near to us and help us to draw near to thee. 
May we walk all the day under the sunshine of thy 
gracious countenance. Whom have we in the heavens, 
O God, but thee;' and there is none in all the earth that 
our souls would desire besides thee. We draw near to 
thy footstool, under a deep sense of our unworthiness. We 
acknowledge the depravity and corruption of our nature; 
the sins and shortcomings of our practice. We bring 
our guilt to the great propitiation, even Jesus Christ. 

Blessed Saviour! give to us a sense of pardon. May 
we see this day thy glory, as we have seen thee heretofore 
within thy holy temple. May every temporal mercy 
which gladdens our lot be sweetened and hallowed, and 
endeared by the thought that it comes to us through 
Christ. May blessings and trials, comforts and crosses, 
health and sickness, joy and sorrow, bring us only nearer 
to thee, and redound to the glory of thy great name. 

Subdue whatever is inconsistent with thy mind and 
will. May our hearts become holy temples, and our lives 
living sacrifices. Fit us for thy glory. Let our eye be 
ever heavenward. Let religion become more "the one 
thing needful." May we grow more meek and child-like 
in submission to our heavenly Father's will. Breathing 
a perpetual Sabbath-spirit on earth, may we be fitted for 
that rest which shall never be broken, which awaits us in 
the kingdom of the redeemed. 

We pray for all who are to minister to us this day, and 
may every good impression on the minds of those who 
hear the gospel to-day, be rendered permanent and saving. 
Bless us, even us, O God, who are now surrounding thy 
footstool. As thou hast knitted us together in the same 
earthly ties, do thou unite us in the better bonds of the 
everlasting covenant. Make us all partakers of the re- 
surrection-life of thy people ; that though death may sooner 
or later separate us here, we may meet at last where 
separation is unknown. Through Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

409 



TWENTY-FOUR. — (SUNDAY EVENING.) 

MOST blessed Lord, we praise thee for all the manifes- 
tations of thy character in thy works and thy ways; 
but especially at the close of this day of rest, sacred to 
the remembrance of a once crucified, but now risen 
Saviour, we would extol thee. We bless thee for the full 
and free overtures of mercy which are addressed to us 
through the divine Redeemer, and for all the benefits that 
are treasured in him. Grant that we may never be moved 
aside from the hope that is in Christ; that through the 
blood of the covenant alone we may ever look for pardon, 
and all needed spiritual blessings; that by faith in him 
we may learn from this day to avoid those ways that are 
evil, and to obey thy law: thus may we become compan- 
ions of all them that fear thee. 

And may the holy Book, that records the things that 
belong to our peace, ever be prized by us as the charter 
of our privileges, the storehouse of our treasures. May 
we learn to make it the man of our counsel, the frequent 
companion of our solitude, our guide in seasons of diffi- 
culty, our refuge in danger, our comfort in affliction. 
Lord God of the Sabbath, vouchsafe to us thy presence 
and countenance on this evening of thy holy day. Let 
this prove truly a season of rest and refreshment to each 
one of us. Remember thy word of promise unto thy ser- 
vants, that where two or three are met together in thy 
name, there thou wilt be in the midst of them. 

Give testimony to the word of thy grace wheresoever and 
by whomsoever it may have been proclaimed this day, so 
that many who have hitherto been living far from thee may 
choose thee as their portion, and, with deep repentance, 
entreat thy favor. May the sick and sorrowful know that 
thou art with them, and in the issue learn thy loving 
kindness from their affliction. Thou knowest what is 
best for thy children far better than we know. May sick- 
ness as well as health, adversity as well as prosperity, be 
accepted by us as coming from thy loving hand. And 
when the night of death closes round us, may we be ready 
and waiting for thy summons to that better land above 
where we shall meet our loved ones and our blessed Saviour. 
All these things we ask, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. 

410 




REV. THEODORE L. CUYLER, D.D. 



TWENTY-FIVE. 



SPECIAL PRAYER FOR SUNDAY MORNING. 

INFINITE and loving Father, we lift our eyes unto the 
hills from whence cometh all our help. For our only 
help is in the name of the Lord who made the heavens and 
the earth. We thank thee for thy guardian care over us 
during the night. We thank thee that we have lain down 
and slept in peace and safety, for the eye that never slum- 
bers kept watch over us. We rejoice in the gift of another 
Sabbath, and we pray, that we may all be " in the spirit on 
the Lord's day." Enable us to lay aside all the thoughts 
and the things of the world, and the toils and the cares 

411 



412 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

of the week that is past. Forgive us all the sins we have 
committed; and grant thy blessing on all that we have 
attempted to do for thy glory during the six days that have 
gone with their account to heaven. This is thy day; 
may we remember to keep it holy as the Sabbath of the 
Lord our God. We rear our family-altar at the very 
threshold of the day, and invoke thy gracious presence 
with us through all its hours. We know not what the day 
may bring forth ; we know not what temptations may assail 
us, or what perils may be before us, or what trials may be 
in store for us; but if thou, O loving Father, art close 
beside us every moment, no temptation will overcome us, 
and we shall be prepared to meet whatever thou in thy 
wisdom shall send upon us. We need thee every hour; 
for we are very weak and very wayward. O, pity our 
weakness and send us strength. Pity our ignorance, and 
send us light! Pity our guiltiness and pardon us for the 
sake of him whose atoning blood cleanseth from all sin. 
Search us, O God, and try us, and see what evil may be 
in us, and now create a clean heart in every one of us. 

As thou hast given us another Sabbath we pray thee to 
bestow upon us a precious Sabbath blessing. Both in our 
homes and in thy sanctuary, may it be a golden day of 
prayer and of praise ; and while we rest from worldly toils, 
may our souls be on fire with all holy activities in thy ser- 
vice. Let us be like the children of Israel at Elim when 
they gathered under the palm-trees and beside the over- 
flowing wells of water. Send down upon us the heavenly 
manna of thy word, and may it satisfy all the hunger of 
our souls. May we feed upon this bread of life; may we 
come as the hart that thirsteth after the water-brooks, 
and draw with joy out of the wells of thy salvation. 

If we go up to thy courts, wilt thou graciously go with 
us; and help us to worship thee in sincerity and truth. 
Let us enter thy gates with thanksgiving and thy courts 
with joyful praise. We long to meet our beloved Mas- 
ter there, and like the disciples on the mount may we 
"see none but Jesus onlyV O, thou kind and tender 
Shepherd who knowest all thy sheep by name, gather 
thy flock to-day in the green pastures, and may each 
one listen to the loving Shepherd's voice. O, thou 
Divine Physician, there will be many before thee whose 



PR A YER FOR SUN DA Y MORNING 4*3 

hearts are sick with sin, and wounded by many falls. Take 
pity on them. Lift them up and set the fallen on their 
feet again. Open blinded eyes and unstop deaf ears, and 
wake those who are dead in trespasses and sin! Bless to- 
day our own beloved pastor, and all thy ministering ser- 
vants and thy missionaries in every clime. Baptize them 
with the Holy Ghost and with fire! May they be fearless 
for the truth, and may they all rejoice to hide self behind 
the cross of Christ and direct all eyes to Hi?n who taketh 
away the sins of the world. Make this a day of glorious 
power when every stroke that is struck for God shall echo 
in heaven; and may there be great joy there over many 
sinners who have repented. 

We invoke thy blessing upon all Sabbath schools. In- 
struct the teachers and make them wise to lead their 
scholars unto Christ. Let every teacher be an armor- 
bearer for the little ones who are to be equipped for the 
coming battles of life. May this be a happy Sabbath in 
every mission school and chapel and house of charity — 
where Jesus shall lay his hand on the heads of poor children 
to bless them — and in hospitals may he shed upon every 
sufferer's couch the sunlight of his countenance. Re- 
member tenderly all those who are to-day detained from 
thy house by the privations of thy providence. As they 
cannot come to the house of the Lord, may the Lord of 
the house visit them, and put his everlasting arm under- 
neath the sick and the sorrowing. Graciously bind up*all 
broken hearts, and pour the oil of thy love into wounded 
spirits. Help them and help all of us to feel that this 
world is not our rest; and may it be a training-school in 
which we shall learn even hard lessons cheerfully, and 
always see God's loving hand through eyes that are washed 
with tears. Enable us to rejoice in the Lord always, and 
in everything give thanks! 

Come, Lord Jesus, and be our elder brother, and abide 
here under our roof as thou didst with thy beloved friends 
at Bethany. Give thyself to every one of us, so that we 
all, parents and children, may be a part of thy glorified 
household when thou shalt make up thy jewels. Listen 
now, gracious Lord and Intercessor, as in thy name we 
humbly pray. 

Our Father, etc. 



COMMON FORMS FOR GRACE AT MEALS. 

Our heavenly Father, sanctify to our use, we beseech 
thee, these provisions of thy love, and us to thyself and 
thy service. Amen. 

Accept, O Lord, our grateful acknowledgments for the 
mercies we are now about to receive. Teach us thy stat- 
utes; and enable us, as we live by thy bounty, to acknowl- 
edge thee in all things, and spend our lives in thanks- 
giving and praise to thee. We ask for our Redeemer's 
sake. Amen. 

In thee, O Lord, we live, and move, and have our being. 
Keep us ever mindful of our dependence upon, and our 
obligations to thee. Do thou graciously forgive our sins, 
and sanctify us by thy Spirit. Grant us also, now, a 
Father's blessing with the bounty of thy providence; for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 

O lord, our heavenly Father, we thank thee for these 
renewed manifestations of thy love and bounty. Thou 
art ever graciously supplying our daily needs. Do 
thou also feed our souls with the bread of life; and 
strengthen us that we may do thy holy will, through 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

O lord, bless unto us these bounties which thou hast 
graciously bestowed upon us, and sanctify ourselves to thy 
service, that we may live for thee alone, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

O lord, the earth is full of thy riches, and of these 
thou art constantly bestowing abundance upon us. Let 
not thy bounteous fulness steal our hearts away from thee, 
but sanctify 'unto us these and all other blessings, and let 
us find acceptance in thy sight; for our Redeemer's sake. 
Amen. 

414 



COMMON FOKMS FOR GRA CE AT MEALS. 4 1 5 

We accept, O Lord, these gifts as from thee who art 
the giver of every good and perfect gift that descendeth 
from above. Teach us, in receiving them, as we live upon 
thy bounty so to live to thy glory. For Christ's sake. 
Amen. 

O lord, our heavenly Father, thy mercies are new every 
morning and fresh every evening. Give us hearts of 
gratitude and praise for all thy blessings. Make us thy 
children, devoted to thy praise; and let us find acceptance 
in thy sight, for our Redeemer's sake. Amen. 

Bless, heavenly Father, this food to our use, and our- 
selves to thy service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Accept, Lord, our thanks for thy mercies. Bless this 
provision of thy bounty. Feed our souls with the bread 
of life; and grant that we may sit with thee at thy table 
in thy kingdom; for thine own Name's sake. Amen. 

We give thee thanks, O God our Father, for all these 
material bounties. Let our souls not want for the bread 
of life, and teach us, in receiving both temporal and 
spiritual mercies, to be ever mindful of thee, the giver of 
all good; for our Redeemer's sake. Amen. 

Lord, we bless thee for these provisions of thy grace. 
May our hearts go out in thanksgiving and praise for all 
thy mercies. May we hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness, that our souls may be filled, and we be enabled to 
glorify thee in our lives here and hereafter; and thou shalt 
have all the praise, now and forever. Amen. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

(all may unite in this prayer, as an 
occasional fitting close at family worship.) 




U R Father, who art in 
heaven, hallowed be thy 
name. Thy kingdom 
come. Thy will be 
done in earth, as it is 
in heaven. Give us 
this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive them that 
trespass against us. And lead us 
not into temptation, but deliver us 
from evil: For thine is the king- 
dom, and the power, and the glory, 
for ever and ever. Amen. 



4K 



